


Iron Clad: Glass Heart

by Khadrimx



Series: Iron Clad [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Danger, F/M, Iron Man 2, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-01-27 21:37:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 39
Words: 293,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1723379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khadrimx/pseuds/Khadrimx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meet Scarlett Damien: engineer, mercenary, jack of all trades. In over her head with a terrorist organization, she seeks vengeance against those who have wronged her. Whose to blame? Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist Tony Stark. Now, she seeks revenge on the man who ruined her life. But things are not what they seem and Scarlett’s preconception of truth and fiction are unraveled at the seams. When no one is who you think they are, what do you believe? Tony and Scarlett struggle to learn who to trust and whose to blame while dealing with emotions neither one is familiar with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Underhanded

**Author's Note:**

> Glass Heart takes place after Captain America in the MCU but before The Avengers!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All is not what it seems. Scarlett Damien, engineer, physicist, and former gun for hire had tried to sit straight and fly right. Unfortunately the company who hired her didn't like those plans. Uncovering a dirty secret, Scarlett confronts the heads of MedCo but they're one step ahead of her.

“So, what is it that you’re interrupting my valuable time for _now_?” With a long mess of chocolate brown curls pulled lazily away from her face the woman, dressed in casual jeans and an old black tank top was overly confident and impatient as she spoke. Dusting her grease covered hands, sore and scarred from mechanical accidents and slips of tools, on her jeans, she continued. “Another financial discussion, perhaps? My terms remain the same just as they did the _last_ time we went over this. I refuse to lower my fee. You get what you pay for, you know. Are you having some difficulties coming up with what you owe me? That’s a problem. You _will_ pay me, one way or another. Considering I’ve already done half the work and improved the, shoddy I might add, tools you’d provided me with non-payment is out of the question.” 

Wiping her grease stained hands on her jeans once again fruitlessly, she placed both hands on her hips and waited expectantly for a response from the three board members of the Medical Engineering Development Corporation, MedCo for short. The trio sat behind a polished oak table, looking grim and severe.

She’d been told their names several times on several occasions and while she was sure she had them hidden somewhere in the recesses of her memory, she didn’t find them important enough to recall. Ever since she’d signed a contract to work for MedCo a month prior the trio had interrupted her nearly every day with news of some pointless delivery or update for her project. More recently these meetings had begun to sound like _threats_. Luckily, she was not one to be intimidated by threat and innuendo; in fact she was usually the one doling them out.

“Scarlett,” The severe looking older woman who sat between two younger men, her hair pulled back tightly into a graying bun spoke. She clasped her hands together and leaned on the table. There was a plastic smile plastered across her features that were tight from one too many surgical procedures of a cosmetic nature.

“ _Miss Damien_ , if you don’t mind,” Scarlett corrected the woman behind the oaken table. Scarlett’s confident smile faded, replaced with a stone cold grimace. While she pretended she was upset with the trio for having interrupted her work, once again, she also had a bone to pick with them. The late hours of the night before Scarlett had received updated specifications for the machines she’d been hired to design and build.

“Fine.” The pleasant smile on the older woman’s face faltered for but a moment and her eye twitched in frustration. “ _Miss_ Damien, would you please be seated. We have some rather important matters to discuss.”

“And I, with you.” Any pleasantries Scarlett had awarded them on prior occasions had been tossed out the window. 

“Oh?” The man on the left adjusted his glasses and peered at her curiously over the top of them. “Is that so?”

“When you hired me and my partner…,” Scarlett sneered when the man interrupted her.

“We hired _you_. You refused to work without Scott Aaronson alongside you, if I recall.”

“It’s _rude_ to interrupt but since you choose to argue over trivialities...” Scarlett narrowed her eyes dangerously and started over. “When you approached me with a job opportunity, I was less than thrilled. Your company’s reputation precedes you, I’m afraid. Colleagues of mine have mentioned your name and you would blush at the things I’ve heard them say. When you pursued me I agreed reluctantly but only because of the subject matter and the need for a more steady career.” As the woman in the middle made a motion to interrupt, Scarlett held up her hand to stop them in their tracks and made an irritated sound to accompany it. “You will wait until I’m _done_ and then I’ll be taking questions.”

The trio behind the table leaned back in their seats, exchanged glances, then with the smiles completely eradicated from their faces they sat and waited for Scarlett Damien to say what was on her mind.

“Thank you.” There was no gratitude in her voice, it was merely a pleasantry. Reaching into the pocket of her jeans she pulled out the folded piece of paper she had received via fax machine in her lab the night before. “When you told me you were looking to revolutionize prosthetics, I was curious. When I found out you were looking for a way to recreate limbs so pristinely that they would be unrecognizable as artificial to the untrained eye I was intrigued enough to agree to work for you, on my terms of course. I was to have access to all the requirements and goals for the project beforehand. I would have my money. I would have my assistant engineer. Most importantly I would have unrestricted access to all the supplies I deemed necessary for such a project whether previously requested or not.”

“Are you coming to a point with your ramblings, Miss Damien or are you simply reminding us of our duties?” The man on the left chuckled through a heavy accent, attempting to clear the air in the room that had become thick with tension ever since Scarlett had corrected her name. Scarlett, though innocent upon first glance, had a reputation of her own and it was nothing short of ruthless.

“My, my.” Scarlett unfolded the piece of paper she’d removed from her pocket and gave it a second read through. “Impatient, aren’t we? You know, I’ve been around the block a few times. You’re not the first shady, underhanded company that I’ve dealt with and I’m sure you won’t be the last. I can teach you a few things I’ve learned from dealing with others like you, if you want.” Approaching the desk, Scarlett placed the paper down in front of her turning it toward them. She enjoyed watching the trio squirm in their seats to see how long it would take them to reach for the paper. When the woman in the middle did so, Scarlett placed her hand flat on top of it to keep her from being able to move it close enough to read.

“Impatience usually implies you’re nervous about something. But why would you be nervous if we’re on the same team?” A rebellious curl fell in Scarlett’s face as she leaned over the desk, but she ignored it and glared at the three who had hired her. “Do I intimidate you?” There was little response outside of nervous shuffling in plush chairs. “I doubt that. As dark as my reputation may be, what chance would I stand against your _entire_ corporation?” Scarlett finally let go of the paper so it could be taken from her. “Rather, you have something to hide from me and you’re terrified I’ll become wise of it before I finish my work.”

“While we don’t doubt your perception, Miss Damien, what on earth would we be hiding? We have met every one of your demands, no matter how absurd they were!” The man with the glasses adjusted them again; it was a nervous tic.

“I don’t like liars, sir.” Scarlett stood upright. “There’s only one thing, as a matter of fact, that I hate _more_ than liars and that’s liars who work for Stark Industries.” Tapping the logo on the memo with her forefinger she turned to face away from the trio. She pulled her hair from the ponytail she’d put it up in earlier only to tie it back a second time in hopes of capturing the stray hairs that kept managing escape.

“A memo with the Stark Industries letterhead? _This_ is what you’re upset about?” The woman scoffed and started on what would surely be an ideal explanation. “Come now, how do you know it’s not a misplaced piece of paper? I heard you were paranoid, but I never thought you would be one to jump to conclusions. Besides, Stark Industries is a reputable Fortune 500 company, I would think this would be a comfort!”

“Don’t talk to me to like I’m one of your pathetic lackeys. I’m not desperate for money, quite the opposite, so you can’t twist my arm. I took this job because of the challenge it provided me with and the potential advancements that could be made.” She didn’t mention it but her partner, Scott Aaronson, had been a big part of the decision to take that job.

“Even if we are affiliated with Stark Industries, what would it matter?” Glasses were adjusted once again.

“Yes, I’m sure you’re thinking of excuses now. Tony Stark, ever since his experience in the Middle East, is a changed man! He’s no longer an arms dealer, no longer selling his weapons on the black market for a hefty price to less than favorable characters around the world. He saw the light and has moved onto energy research! Sure. Those who believe the press are fools and I am _not_ a fool. Tony Stark is a joke and his company is a threat to mankind. And if you think that I didn’t become suspicious after receiving that memo with the list of changes to your specifications then you are grossly underestimating me.” That time the trio behind the table stayed silent and let Scarlett continue.

“Which brings me to the point: I’m not building prototypes for medical means anymore, am I? I’m building complex robotic technology to later be dissected by a team of professionals so it can be rebuilt and weaponized without my knowledge. You knew that I would never agree to build such weapons, particularly for a company already known for doing such dastardly things with plain old guns and bombs. This… _this_ is something entirely different than your usual run of the mill weapon. Is Tony Stark outsourcing now? He couldn’t continue his robotic wet dream thanks to the United States Government and that pesky senator breathing down his neck. Something about owning unregistered weapons technology, right? So he did what he always does. He handed the problem to someone else. He hired _me._ ” Scarlett paced toward the chair a few feet from the table where she’d earlier been instructed to sit.

“I hacked your database after receiving the memo. I found out what you were actually up to so there’s no reason to deny it. You have a storeroom filled with crates from Stark Industries that just happen to be missing from your _official_ inventory list. There were files I didn’t have time to get to, but I assume they’re off the books anyway. Is Anthony Stark paying you with weapons to fund your acts of terror disguised as minimal charity? Well, I’ll have no part in it. I’m done. I’ve destroyed the schematics for what I’ve worked on and I’ll be taking what I’ve made with me. Unfortunately the idea you had pitched to me was a good one but I’m sure I’ll find another company willing to fund the idea and actually make a difference in the medical world.” Scarlett sat down, leaning back lazily then crossed her legs. “I’m keeping what I’ve been paid and we’ll part ways.”

Scarlett wiped lazily at her jeans while she waited for a response from the owners of the corporation she’d basically just given the middle finger to. The three exchanged glances before deciding on their response. The woman in the middle leaned back in her chair and fiddled with her cell phone for a moment before looking back at Scarlett.

“Well you are correct about a _few_ things, Miss Damien.” Clearing her throat, she put her cell phone to her ear. “You can send them upstairs now.” Hanging up, she leaned forward against the table and narrowed her eyes at the confident young woman. “You’re right about _many_ things actually. Everything except for one... You are cunning, Miss Damien, far more cunning than we were prepared to give you credit for. Your reputation preceded you but upon seeing you we doubted.” 

Scarlett leaned forward in her chair, ready to argue with the woman. Somehow, she knew that MedCo had anticipated this move and had prepared something to try and keep her on board with the project. They would be hard pressed to find something that would sway her short of physical confrontation.

“I’m sorry that you no longer have interest in our little arrangement, _Scarlett_.” The woman got up and stood in front of the table, the two men behind her remaining in their seats, but looking straight at Scarlett. “Your credentials are incredible. Graduate of Cambridge in the top of your class, medical work in Senegal that has made you a common name in the physics world, then you disappear off the grid never to be heard from publically again. Unless you count the numerous arrests on your record and start looking in less than savory places.”

“I’ve done my time and paid my dues, so if you’re looking for something to blackmail me with, then good luck. I don’t hide who or what I am.” Scarlett wasn’t easily threatened and had prepared for confrontation. She had gone off the grid on purpose due to the dark turn her work had taken after inventing affordable surgical tools in Senegal. Regular work had left her bored. The only times she had been arrested had been unrelated to her work and were mostly for petty crimes.

“Oh, I’ve never been fond of blackmail of that type, per se. People like you hang their dirty laundry for everyone to see or burn it with their bridges,” the woman chuckled and walked over to the far end of the room where a flat screen television hung. When the door opened, Scarlett expected to see an armed guard coming to threaten her life, but was surprised when no such thing happened. Instead a man came in and leaned against the door, no weapon in sight. Still, habit had urged her to lean forward, and closer, to the small caliber gun she had strapped to her ankle beneath her jeans. Since her years in Cambridge she had never gone out unarmed. “I find that reputations like yours are very hard to argue with. Unfortunately, as much as I would like to let you walk away from us, Scarlett, I can’t replace you without getting Tony Stark himself to come down here and that’s out of the question.”

“If you know anything about me, you know you can’t keep me here. I can’t be muscled into working for you. Yours wouldn’t be the only blood on my hands if I found it necessary.” Scarlett’s expression darkened. The woman across the room finally smiled and Scarlett knew this was bad news for her. There was something she must have missed, something that cost the battle against MedCo; something that was going to force her to work for this sinister company against her will. Mind racing across the details of her work, Scarlett was unsure where the conversation would lead so instead stayed silent.

“Oh, I know that we can’t fight you on it. Of course, I’m sure I could outman you without any effort as you pointed out before but… I need you in one piece. If we had intended to kill you then we wouldn’t be here talking right now, would we?” Scarlett didn’t respond. Suddenly a buzz filled the room. Eyes flitting in search of the source, Scarlett spied one of the men at the table picking up his cell phone. Without a word, he listened and ended the call. He looked to the woman standing near the flat screen television and nodded his head in signal.

Smirking at Scarlett the woman looked truly deranged with power. Scarlett had never liked the people who owned MedCo. It had been partially why she’d turned down the job offer several times in the first place. Scott had been the one to talk her into taking the work. When Scarlett’s mind went idle, she tended to leap into unnecessary danger. Scott preferred when she’d been contracted by a reputable company to do long term work to keep her out of trouble. Scott wasn’t the type of boyfriend who would come running to her aid in moments of disaster. Scott was the kind of boyfriend who would bail her out of jail after a bar fight and remind her that she had responsibilities to the people who loved her. Wincing at the thought, Scarlett knew what would be on the television screen before it was turned on. 

How had she missed that? Of course, Scott was the only thing that had repeatedly left her vulnerable over the years.

Pulling her gun from the holster on her ankle she stood from the chair, cocked the gun and aimed it at the woman in front of the television. The owner of the company flipped the button on the television to turn it on. The screen came to life and instead of any television station or static, there was faded looking security footage, the words ‘ _Live Feed_ ’ in the corner. Scarlett glanced at the screen only for a second before turning her attention to the woman. She didn’t need to see anything else to know what demands would be made.

Scott sat tied to a chair in the middle of the room on the footage, two armed men on either side of him. Scarlett could only assume he’d been gagged, though by the look of him he didn’t seem injured. At least none that she could see on the blurred camera footage for the split second she’d observed it.

“You see, Scarlett, if you don’t finish the work you were hired to do then your dear… Scott was his name, correct? Well, he’ll have two bullets between the eyes. I’d put away your gun dear, we both know you’re not going to shoot me. It looks to me like I’ve found some leverage.”

“Let him go, you know this has nothing to do with him,” Scarlett said plainly, even though she knew the woman was right. Scott had always gotten her out of trouble in the past. She owed it to him to make sure he was safe.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with him. You’re right. He’s useless to us and useless to you. A failure of an engineer, not half of what you are or even a third. Why do you even bother with him? He’s clearly holding you back from your _true_ potential. Is he your moral compass, perhaps?”

“Release him and I won’t shoot _you_ between the eyes.” Scarlett ignored the snide remark, half wondering why on earth she did bother with Scott. This was not the time for such thoughts. There’d be plenty of time to address it later. Right now, she knew what the right thing to do was and she didn’t need Scott there to guide her moral compass.

“If you shoot me, he dies. You’re a good shot Scarlett, I’m sure. But… there are three of us here, and security watching from the cameras overhead. Be logical, Scarlett, dear. Give me the gun and stand down. By the time you’ve fired a shot your precious Scott would be dead and his blood on _your_ hands.” The woman held out her hand expectantly for Scarlett’s weapon.

She weighed her options. Scarlett knew if she shot the woman Scott would die as had been threatened. Even if she shot the two men at the table first then the woman, someone would hear the gunshots and Scott would die. Every scenario she played out in her mind ended with Scott dead and unnecessary blood on her hands. But was Scott’s life really worth the price she had to pay to keep him alive? Turning her gaze finally back to the screen she could see the fear in Scott as he sat blindfolded, gagged and chained to his chair. He was trembling, not even trying to escape. How many times had he bailed her out of foreign jails, drunk and roughed up from some bar fight? How many times had he taken care of her when she’d given herself a colossal hang over after she’d drank herself into a stupor? Despite their problems and her misgivings on their relationship, Scarlett owed him. Scott was a good man, he’d simply chosen to date a less than good woman.

Pulling the clip of ammunition from the gun, she handed over the weapon reluctantly. Scarlett averted her eyes and slipped the clip into her pocket for safe keeping, but was forced to turn it over when the woman eyed her the wrong way.

“That’s a good girl.” The older woman clicked her tongue and nodded toward the man who still stood silently at the door, waiting for his orders. “Take her back to her laboratory. She has some lost time to make up for.” Staying fixed to where she stood, Scarlett stared at the floor, weighing the consequences again in her mind. She could take the guard out as he came close to her, but she no longer had a gun. There was still no way to save Scott and keep from building weapons for the vile company. “Oh, and about that financial agreement we had?” Scarlett looked back up at the woman and narrowed her eyes. “You can forget about it. Your fee? It’s the price of getting to survive to see your boyfriend again.”

Scarlett didn’t dignify the woman’s words with a response. Anything she’d say now would just be adding insult to injury. Any further attempts to irritate the trio running the underhanded company would only result in punishment for Scott. While she was unsure of her obligation to him, Scarlett wished no harm be done to him. If there was anyone undeserving of such treatment, it was Scott Aaronson.

The guard grabbed Scarlett’s shoulder and she shoved him off of her and walked to the door on her own.

“Don’t bother, I know my way.” Hand on the doorknob Scarlett only stopped when the voice of one of the men at the table, the one without the glasses, met her. Finally placing his accent as Russian, Scarlett closed her eyes and concentrated. Searching her memory for their names, the ones she’d purposely locked away and ignored, she listened.

“Oh by the way, Stark Industries _thanks_ you for your cooperation.” The smallest hint of sarcasm caught her ear through the accent and Scarlett finally recalled his name.

“No offense, Mr. Ivanov but you and Stark Industries can kiss my ass.” Without another word, Scarlett walked out the door, hearing the sound of the guard close behind her. He’d obviously being given the order to follow her in case she did something drastic, like try to escape or save Scott. If they’d known _anything_ about her capabilities they would know she wasn’t the type to run in front of a gun without a plan unless absolutely desperate. Everything she did had a purpose. While half her plans were made up on the spot, Scarlett usually found a means of escape or calculated decent odds for her survival before executing any plan.

She _was_ the type to run in front of a gun if, and only if, she had a plan. Stopping in front of her laboratory in the basement of the large MedCo facility hidden away in the African desert, she turned to face her guard.

“I don’t suppose you have a cigarette I could have, hmm?” Scarlett raised an eyebrow, nodding to the door behind her. “Ignore the highly flammable sign hanging on the door. How’s a girl to get any work done while fighting an addiction?” The man looked at her skeptically before relenting, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Scarlett pulled one from the pack, slipped it between her lips and then grabbed a second to slip behind her ear. In that instance she knew what kind of a man the guard was. “Thank you. Don’t suppose you have any scotch in there either, huh?”

Apparently the guard did _not_ share her sense of humor as he reached past her and opened the door to the lab then gave her a look that clearly told her he was done entertaining her.

“First date and I don’t even get a kiss goodnight. I really know how to pick ‘em.” Scarlett turned on her heels and walked into the lab staring at what was left of her work. The door locked securely behind her, sealing her fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited this chapter again recently! It's been a long time since I looked at this story and I'm a far more competent writer than I was back then. Continue to expect new updates!


	2. Vodka on the Rocks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Desperate to escape with her boyfriend in tow, Scarlett devises a sneaky plan. She crawls into the belly of the beast, but doesn't return empty handed despite what they may think!

Something smashed next to Scarlett’s head and she jumped very suddenly at the sound. Turning instantly with a wrench in hand, she was prepared to swing it at whoever was nearby. While her work had gone smoothly after the meeting with MedCo for the first week, she’d purposely slowed down in an attempt to find where Scott was being held. She’d hacked the computer system to try and steal video footage from the security tapes in hopes of finding clues to where he was being held prisoner. She’d managed to take a few pictures of the footage with the cell phone she’d customized herself before MedCo had shut down her lab entirely upon discovering her intrusion.

After her third time hacking into their computer system she’d been placed on a restricted diet and sleep schedule as punishment for her lack of cooperation. Now, blinking so her eyes would adjust to the dimmed light of the room with limited power usage, Scarlett turned her head to look back at the man walking away from her. He’d left a small plate of food on the desk next to her which had been the source of the sound that had woken her.

“Still no scotch, huh?” Scarlett called after the man, leaning her back against the desk and watching as he left her alone with her meal of indescribable food. He’d never bothered to respond, but he’d been the only companionship available to Scarlett in the past week. She had to at least _try_ to get him talking. Scarlett leaned her head back against the desk and grimaced. Slowly turning around she poked the plate and made a face of disgust. While she’d avoided eating any of the food that had been provided for her for the first few days, eventually she’d caved and started eating the minimal amount to keep her going. The food wasn’t awful but she also didn’t know what it contained and didn’t trust those preparing it not to poison her.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t work out a plan of escape when she was half dead, so not eating was doing her no favors. Even if they’d laced the food with something to make her more cooperative she had to risk it. So far, nothing had altered her state of mind or her strength, other than the lack of food and sleep in general. In all reality, these things had just made her more determined to escape and _with_ Scott. Staring at the nearly completed set of robotic limbs in front of her, Scarlett felt the guilt churn in the pit of her stomach once again, as it had on many occasions over the days prior.

Pulling her phone out of where she had kept it hidden in her shirt in the side of her bra, where it had sat uncomfortably, she opened the photos she’d managed to snap of Scott’s holding cell. How could she know he was alive in those photos? They could’ve shown her video footage from any point in time and doctored it to say that it was a live feed of the man she was hoping to save. There was no time stamp on the video, not that it could be trusted if there had been. For all she knew, Scott could be long dead and she could be building these machines and resisting escape for no reason at all.

The more she weighed her options the more she considered risking Scott’s life to escape MedCo and to keep from having to build something that could potentially cause the next World War if put into the wrong hands. Was her boyfriend’s life _really_ worth such potential destruction? Her gut said no.

“That’s one way to get into the history books, I suppose.” She muttered under her breath, zooming in on the picture that had come out the clearest. Her eyes searched the perimeter of the room once again in hopes of finding anything that would hint toward Scott’s location. Shuffling her feet against the floor out of nerves, she had a sudden realization. Before she could think her revelation through further, the door opened a second time and the guard who had brought her food returned with a very pleasant and unexpected surprise. 

This had been the first good day Scarlett had in a long time.

Cocking an eyebrow quizzically, she watched as the man left her a half empty bottle of vodka and two shot glasses on the desk next to what she’d been told was food. Truly surprised by his actions Scarlett simply stared and the guard stared at her in return behind his dark glasses. After a moment of awkward silence passed between them he poured them each a shot of the clear liquid. Holding up one of the shot glasses as if to propose a toast to them both the guard waited for Scarlett. She hesitantly picked up the other shot glass that lay nearly full on the desk.

“Well, it’s not Balvenie, but it’ll do.” It was in Scarlett’s nature to disguise her discomfort in tense situations with humor. For a moment she thought she saw a smile on the corner of the guard’s lips and he spoke. It had been the first time he’d shown any proper emotion since they’d met.

“Vodka’s better. Gets the job done faster.” His Russian accent was thick, and his English was poor and broken, but still good enough for Scarlett to understand.

“Not if you’re drinking it right. But beggars can’t really be choosers, now can we?” Picking up the shot, she tapped her glass against the guard’s and without looking back at him, swallowed the burning liquid. Inwardly grimacing at the rubbing alcohol taste of bargain store vodka and the burn it provided in her throat, Scarlett placed the shot glass back down on her desk. The guard did the same. Another awkward moment followed before Scarlett stood up. “Thank you.”

The guard turned away from her and walked toward the door, leaving the bottle of alcohol and the shot glasses on the desk for her to consume, presumably, on her own.

“What for?” The guard didn’t turn around, opening the door as he spoke. “I did nothing.” Closing the door behind him, Scarlett noted that he didn’t lock it as he usually did which was another act of kindness she hadn’t expected. Staring curiously at the door and contemplating making use of it she also realized the amount of trouble the guard would get into after he’d gone out of his way to get her something he’d surely not been permitted to.

Sitting back on her stool, she pursed her lips and tapped her fingers against the desk near the bottle of vodka, weighing her options.

“Well, that was odd.” Reaching to pull her messy curls out of her face, Scarlett stared at the bottle of vodka left for her as she tied her rebellious hair back into a lazy ponytail. “Oh, you are going to come in handy for _so_ many reasons.” Leaning her head down to look at the amount of alcohol she’d been left with, she decided it best to hide what remained. Ideas brewed inside her mind. She would break out that night. She wasn’t going out the door that had been left unlocked for her and she wasn’t aiming to escape. Escape would be foolhardy, but she had a far grander scheme in mind.

Realizing she had been in the middle of something before the guard had interrupted her Scarlett picked her phone back up off of the desk and examined the pictures she had taken of the security footage once again. The air vents in the footage were near the floor, one in particular being a large intake vent and while Scarlett knew she couldn’t climb through those particular vents because of how small they were and how they were likely in use, she knew that the vents in the basement were near the ceiling and far larger. Because the electricity had been limited to her room, Scarlett could only assume that the vents down there very rarely were utilized. 

The floors of Scott’s cell appeared to be concrete from what she could tell which had initially led her to believe that he’d been held in the reinforced basement below the large building like she was. Now that she’d found time to thoroughly investigate the photos she realized he must have been held on the first floor and _not_ in the basement after all. Most likely he was being held closer to the hangar doors where MedCo received their inventory shipments on the loading docks.

While she couldn’t crawl through the air vents on the floor above, she could definitely crawl through the intake vent to get out of her own room and to another on the same floor. She’d only have one chance at this since she was sure the air vents would be secured once she was caught crawling through them. Even finding out where Scott was being held on the first floor would give her a leg up. While she didn’t expect to escape that easily from her captors, the more knowledge she had about the building, the easier it would be for her to plot her eventual escape and rescue Scott from MedCo’s clutches. 

They’d messed with the wrong bitch.

“I wouldn’t be in this mess if he hadn’t insisted he come with me.” Bitterly, Scarlett picked up the bottle of vodka, closed the top and secured it once she’d resisted the urge to drink a second shot. Then, along with the shot glasses, she hid the bottle of vodka at the bottom of her crate of supplies that she’d been provided with for her project. Then she covered them with a small grease covered rag to discourage anyone from touching them and investigating what hid beneath.

Scarlett then hid her phone inside her bra. Screwdriver in hand she dragged the stool she’d been working on over to the far side of the room and beneath the intake vent. A few moments of frustration and work with a screwdriver later, the vent’s cover lay on the floor. Scarlett punctured the inside of the vent with her screwdriver to give herself an anchoring point while she pulled herself inside of it. She left the vent open behind her so if she were discovered they would know the escape attempt was at no fault of the guard who had shown her kindness and had left her door unlocked and trusted her not to take advantage of him.

Squirming through the tight confined space once she’d managed to pull herself inside, Scarlett could only hope that the ventilation system connected to another intake vent in another room and not simply to the air conditioning unit itself. If she had to, she’d break out of the side of the vent, but she preferred to draw less attention to herself during her escape if she could manage it.

After twenty minutes of awkward shuffling in the vent where each move she made echoed loudly and stopping to listen every few feet to make sure those sounds weren’t heard, Scarlett muttered under her breath, merely to amuse herself. “I can’t fucking believe this. Another basement, another elevator? How can the same shit happen to the same gal twice?” 

Joking around for a moment assisted in calming the nerves that had built up in the confined space and helped to ward off claustrophobia. Scarlett stopped crawling when she saw another large vent at the end of a turn similar to the one she’d broken through in her laboratory. Relief flooded through her to know her efforts hadn’t been entirely in vain.

Peeking suspiciously through the vent, Scarlett saw the room empty and dark, the door half open on the opposite wall allowing just enough light in from the hallway to reveal what she was dealing with. There were boxes around the room, piled up against each wall, she presumed since she couldn’t see the wall with the vent on it; it could have very well been completely bare for all she knew. Taking a chance, Scarlett kicked at the vent. It buckled but didn’t give entirely from the screws that held it its place. The sound it made echoed through the room. 

Heart pounding in her ears, Scarlett stopped and listened to find out if someone had heard her kicking, but she heard nothing. While this didn’t mean that someone wasn’t on the other side of the door listening for the noise again, she had very few other choices. She took the risk of kicking the vent a second time and this time the top corner of the grated vent lifted free of its confines just enough for her to fit her hand through the gap.

After a few moments of prying and cutting up her hands on the now jagged piece of metal, Scarlett managed to free the vent cover. Climbing instantly out of the vent to escape the growing claustrophobia that had overcome her Scarlett jumped to the floor and stumbled, gathering her bearings. It took her a few seconds of blinking and focusing to manage to get her vision to adjust to the dim light of the room. 

Leaning close to the floor, down on one knee she hid close to the boxes nearest her. She listened and heard footsteps outside of the half open door. It would’ve been too much to ask for all of the noise she’d made to go unnoticed along with footage on the security cameras kept in each of the rooms. She was never the kind of woman to have such good luck. Careful planning had always been her ally. In her experience she found that whenever something could go wrong, it would.

Hurrying toward the door as quietly as she could, Scarlett stood on the side of it and waited for it to open. Still holding the cover of the vent she swung it hard at the person who opened the door. It turned out to be one of the guards that patrolled the corridors.

The guard immediately stumbled from the blow and reached for something on his hip which Scarlett assumed was a weapon. Throwing the vent cover at the guard’s head, she watched him stumble a second time but try to recover so he could quickly aim at his attacker. Grabbing his arm instinctively, she pulled the gun from his grasp, flipped it around artfully and aimed it back at him. Without a second thought she pulled the trigger and was surprised when she realized to find it was actually a stun gun.

Much to her surprise barbs attached to thin electrical wires pierced the guard’s skin and he convulsed while Scarlett held the trigger down. 

Startled for a moment since she’d expected gunfire, Scarlett stared in awe until she gathered her wits. (Which didn’t take very long.) Letting go of the trigger she approached the startled and injured guard before flipping the stun gun around and swinging the surprisingly heavy butt end of it against the side of his head, knocking him to the ground unconscious. 

Out of breath and startled by the sudden confrontation, Scarlett searched the hallway and saw no other guards in sight. Deciding to buy a few extra moments she grabbed the guard by his legs and dragged him into the storage room. She made sure his pulse was steady before pulling the barbs of the stun gun from his skin. 

Expecting to have to rewind the expelled wire of the stun gun back into the front, she discovered that this newer model simply released the wire and reloaded with a second charge at the back end of the gun. Impressed by this innovation, she checked to see if the propulsion system needed a reload and discovered it had been done so automatically. Despite these enhancements to a weapon that usually required heavy maintenance to reload, it seemed this particular model only had two charges in it total. Scarlett would save the second charge for later, just in case.

Kneeling down, Scarlett quickly searched the guard for any other weapons that could come in handy and found a handgun stashed away in a holster beneath his jacket. Pulling the holster off of the guard, she slipped it around her shoulders and while it was far too big for her slimmer feminine build, it would serve its temporary purpose. She had no plans on discharging the weapon unless her life was threatened, but a gun was often a far more successful motivator than any other weapon could be. 

Grabbing the pocket knife she found in the guard’s front pocket she folded the blade securely into the handle and slipped it inside of her sock. Though it was uncomfortable, if she was caught, perhaps it wouldn’t be found very easily and she could use it to her advantage when she was returned to her laboratory. That was if she wasn’t outright killed when she was discovered sneaking around after having attacked a guard.

“They wouldn’t kill me outright, I’m _far_ too valuable,” Scarlett muttered under her breath, her voice thick with disdain as she peered out the door to double check if the coast was clear. There was no in sight so she took the plunge and snuck out of the room and down the hallway to where she recalled the stairwell being. 

Having always made it a point to know where her exits were despite her circumstances had come in handy over the years and this moment was no different. At the stairwell she waited and listened for any signs of employees or guards on their way down and when she heard none she hurried into the stairwell and up the flight of stairs. Heading toward the main level of the building was dangerous but it was where she needed to go in order to find Scott. Peeking out into the hallway of the first floor, Scarlett saw several guards and employees, each hurrying to some destination or another.

Waiting out the crowd was growing wearisome after a few moments, but Scarlett knew it was the best move for her to make. After some time spent holding her breath and getting frustrated with waiting, all the employees had moved away and entered elevators and only one guard remained in sight. He was stationed at the far end of the hallway, in the direction Scarlett had intended to go. 

Deciding that dealing with one guard was a simple enough task and worth the risk, she left the stairwell. Doing her best not to look suspicious she walked through the hall and carefully approached the guard from behind. Deciding it would be silly to try and sneak past someone when her footfalls had echoed from afar despite her light feet, she instead tapped the guard on the shoulder.

“Could you help me find the bathroom? I’m afraid that I’ve found myself lost.” Scarlett waited for the guard to turn around to face her before swinging the back of the handgun against his jaw. When he stumbled back, she didn’t wait for him to gather his bearings and instead punched the man hard in the stomach, then shrunk down low in a crouch to kick his feet out from under him. When he fell on his back, Scarlett instantly climbed on top of him, placed her hand over his mouth, and held his nose to keep him from being able to breathe properly. 

The guard struggled to push her off of him but was so surprised at how quickly he’d been taken down that before he had a chance to properly defend himself Scarlett had rendered him unconscious on the floor. Pulling him out of view of the main hallway, Scarlett stole his MedCo hat and shoved it on, slipping her hair through the hole in the back mostly to keep it out of her face. Her hair was too thick to hide under the hat entirely so there would be no disguising it. Grabbing the jacket of the man she’d incapacitated, she threw it around her shoulders.

Though it was obviously far too large and looked odd on her, she hoped it would help her avoid suspicion from any passing guards or employees who didn’t bother to take a second look. She knew it would only be a few moments before the guard would be discovered in the hall and people would be looking for the stolen clothing on an intruder.

Seeing the communication radio attached to his belt by a clip, Scarlett grabbed it and pulled open the battery compartment. Easily she found the panel where the live wires were located and after she removed the battery itself she tugged on the wires then dropped it on the unconscious guard’s lap.

Grabbing the gun out of the guard’s holster, she stole the ammunition clip from inside the gun and shoved it into her new jacket’s pocket in case she might need to reload the gun later. She was hoping it wouldn’t come to gunfire before she’d reached her goal. If nothing else these small precautions would slow down her pursuers. 

Rounding the corner of the next hallway, Scarlett tried to recall where the loading dock had been located when she’d taken the tour of MedCo’s facilities before she’d signed the contract to work for them. Closing her eyes for a brief moment to try and rouse the memory from her mind, she recalled the signs in the hallway pointing her past the consulting offices and laboratories. The sign was labeled _Deliveries_. When she’d found the tour of the building to be incredibly boring she’d taken to memorizing areas that could possibly entertain her if her work _also_ became boring. The loading dock had been one of those places. Not to mention, it was one of the largest exits in the building and the easiest accessible one at that.

Hurrying through the halls, but not at a pace that would make her seem suspicious to anyone except for guards, she continued past employees and through winding hallways that she vaguely recalled. Having to double back every so often was a setback, but she only had to do that once or twice before she found herself on the proper path and found the signs that she’d remembered. 

Now that she’d discovered their true purpose, MedCo’s labyrinthine hallways made perfect sense to her. It had seemed very annoying when she’d first toured the building but now it seemed genius. Simplicity would allow too many people to escape too easily and allow intruders to find their way inside just as easily. Finding the sign for the loading docks pointing to a big heavy door, Scarlett wasted no time. 

Entering the room, she scanned the large garage like space where trucks were lined up at the far end. Employees were emptying their contents of weapons and supplies through various doors that slid from the floor to the roof. There were at least a dozen workers unloading and loading supplies but none seemed interested in the woman who had entered the garage. Whatever work they were doing, it seemed far more important. Either that or they weren’t paid well enough to care. 

Scowling at the sight of Stark Industries crates lining the floor near one of the emptied trucks, Scarlett took a deep breath before swallowing the renewed rage she felt toward the company and its owner. Tony Stark had always been a joke to her and her peers, but only because he was such a cocky asshole in public. The reputation of being a womanizing slut didn’t help either. But now that she’d seen the darker side of his vast empire, she had _far_ worse insults for him that outweighed his promiscuity and arrogance. 

With publicity as great as Tony Stark’s and a company as powerful, he had a responsibility to the world to do great things, not manipulate them to his whim. Scarlett thought how lucky it was that the man was nowhere near this facility because she’d certainly hunt him down and kill him.

Now that she’d reached her desired destination Scarlett had to find out where MedCo would be keeping Scott hidden. There was no space in the loading dock itself for hostage cells so Scarlett assumed there had to be a room that branched off hidden nearby. Surely it wouldn’t be as obvious as a room labeled _Hostages_ as humorous as that thought was. 

It would be something simpler. It would be something that didn’t _look_ suspicious. In her experience as a mercenary (she _hated_ that word) she had discovered that often the most ordinary things about a room would disguise the most extraordinary. Frequently, people with something to hide worried so deeply about being discovered that they worked too hard to make something look plain. Now Scarlett just needed to find something so ordinary that it was out of place in the loading dock. 

Creeping with the pilfered hat’s brim held low over her eyes, Scarlett walked through the vast loading dock, searching each door and window that led into another area. Halfway through the room everything seemed as it should be and nothing felt out of place enough for Scarlett to investigate it further. 

She came across an office closer to the far end of the room which turned out to be nothing but that. Since it’d been empty, she’d searched it for a secret entrance or for any useful information while she’d had the time. While she’d been lucky that the foreman of the loading dock had been out of the room when she’d investigated, she couldn’t be so lucky for much longer so when nothing seemed amiss and no secret entrances had been found, she hurried back out of the office and clear down to the other end of the loading dock. 

Leaning with her back against a maintenance room entrance, Scarlett tried the doorknob but found it locked. Looking around the room she searched for any reason to spend time breaking the lock to take a look inside. After a few seconds of scanning the room, she found a more than perfect reason to break the lock.

There were tools, supplies, chemicals and cleaners lining the opposite wall of the loading dock, where she’d first entered from the main hallway. The loading dock itself was essentially a giant maintenance room so what was the point of labeling a second room for such purposes? On top of that, why would it need a label? Those who worked there would know what its purpose was. Not to mention if they had a place for supplies, it would be silly for an entire area of the loading dock to be filled with it. It seemed like the room was trying far too hard to fit into its surroundings without casting suspicion.

Picking the lock would take too long and blowing the handle off would be too loud and would risk shrapnel flying every which way. Instead, Scarlett did her best to not seem suspicious, grabbed the handle, turned and slammed her shoulder into the door as hard as she could. The wood splintered around the lock and without looking around to make sure she hadn’t been heard, she slammed her shoulder into the door a second time. Making loud noises all at once seemed less conspicuous than taking too much time between sounds and drawing attention twice. This wouldn’t be the first time she injured her shoulder shoving open a door and she was hoping it wouldn’t be her last. Scarlett worried for a mere second that she might have been a little bit of a masochist.

The second slam against the door did the trick. While the door didn’t break entirely around the lock, it broke enough that Scarlett could maneuver the deadbolt out of the way and open the door. Sneaking inside, she closed the door quietly behind her, reactivating the deadbolt despite how little security it would provide now that she’d splintered the door. Anything that would slow down her eventual pursuers even for a second would prove useful and worth the extra effort it took.

Searching around the dark room, Scarlett knew she’d hit the jackpot at once. There were boxes piled around the room but they were so caked with dust that it was obvious some of them hadn’t been moved since the building’s construction. If this had indeed been a maintenance room everything would have handprints and scuff marks on it. The entire room was too suspiciously pristine to be used as frequently as a maintenance room would be on a loading dock.

Walking carefully through the dark room once her eyes had adjusted, Scarlett stepped around the boxes, searching for any sort of secret doorway that would guide her to where Scott was being held. Even if she didn’t find him now, she knew about their secret place and it would help her with her plans for escape later on. Starting at the back end of the room, behind the boxes, Scarlett put her hand against the wall and brushed her fingers across it as she walked, searching for a seam of any kind. Stopping halfway through, she listened and heard something amiss. Leaning her head against the wall, she held her breath in hopes of better deciphering the sound from the other side.

Before she could contemplate what it was, the wall slid open as if to unlock and opened away from Scarlett. Having had most of her weight on it, she stumbled forward but didn’t fall, managing to catch herself at the last moment. The two armed guards on the other side jumped backwards and out of the way in surprise. Scarlett regained her balance and stared awkwardly at the two armed men in front of her, who seemed just as confused as she did.

“I don’t suppose you’re going to let this slide.” She smiled slightly, flipping the hat off of her head quickly so her hair slipped out of it then putting it back into place on top of her head. The two guards exchanged glances then without responding, reached for their guns. “I didn’t think so.” Pulling the hat off of her head a second time, Scarlett tossed it in the face of the man on the right then made a blind grab for the man on the left’s arm that was reaching for his holster. Swinging the man she’d grabbed, she urged him into his companion but he had knocked the hat to the ground and stepped out of the way so the man in her arms had merely hit the wall instead of his partner.

The first man, having caught wise to her plan of attack, pushed her back into the dark maintenance room, knocking her into the boxes. An avalanche of boxes crashed to the floor behind her. Rolling to the side and pushing the boxes off of her body as they nearly buried her, Scarlett narrowly dodged the man as he tried to grab her ankle. The second man was calling into his radio for back up. It had only taken them a moment to recognize her as the prisoner behind held on the floor below.

“Well, so much for stealth.” Scarlett picked up the nearest box, which was deceivingly light, and Scarlett guessed, empty and tossed it at the man trying to grab her. To her surprise, the box wasn’t empty at all but instead filled with foam packing peanuts which flew out of the box in a brilliant spray of lime colored foam. Not having the chance to be amused as the static of the foam peanuts drew them to her attackers Scarlett threw her arms up defensively as the box was thrown back in her face. Aware that she would be blind for a second, Scarlett shoved the box and rolled to the side, thankfully dodging an angry stomp of a large boot.

Reaching down to try and grab the knife from her sock she didn’t get the chance as the man who had radioed for back up grabbed her foot and started dragging her back into the well-lit secret hallway. Attempting to grab at the floor did nothing but maim her nails and cause them to bleed so instead she bent her knees to provide her with some leverage. As the man pulled her close enough to try to pin her to the ground, she extended her legs, drawing herself closer to the guard and kicked him hard in his knee, hard enough to knock his leg out from under him and force him to the ground.

Swinging her legs back into the air she jumped back onto her feet. Pushing her messy hair out of her face, she swung the jacket she’d stolen from the guard in the basement and tossed it onto the head of the guard she’d knocked to the ground. 

Before she could make her next move to disarm the man on the floor she was tackled around her waist from behind. Stepping sideways she was pushed into the wall of the hallway rather than to the floor. Putting her hands up defensively to protect her face, she managed to brace herself. Feeling the guard attempting to pull her back by her hair, she grunted in annoyance. The man, being larger than her by a few inches and having at least sixty pounds on her (and not to mention a proper diet over the last few weeks) had quite the advantage. Even if she had been eating and sleeping properly, he would’ve had the advantage over her. 

Scarlett was clever and knew when to use leverage to her advantage, thankfully. Pushing her weight against the guard behind her, she managed to put both feet against the wall for a split second. With a shove against the wall with her feet she managed to push the man backwards, causing him to teeter off balance. Scarlett and the guard who held her hit the wall across from them and she fell free of his grip and onto the floor.

Stumbling to get to an upright position, Scarlett noticed the other guard coming toward them just in time. He had some kind of gun raised and aimed at her so Scarlett immediately abandoned her attempts to get to her feet and dropped once more to the floor onto her knees, throwing her arms protectively in front of her face just in case. The gun fired and the two electrical barbs on the thin strands of wire dug into the guard behind her who was using the wall to try and get back to his feet. Looking up and behind her to see the man against the wall twitch from the electrical current flowing through him, Scarlett saw her chance.

Once again on her feet, she jumped at the guard holding the stun gun, who looked stunned himself to have accidentally attacked his partner. Thrown off by her sudden movements, both Scarlett and the guard fell to the ground. Being thrown immediately off of the man and onto her back she managed to grab her own stun gun from its holster, roll onto her stomach and shoot at the second man who was attempting to dislodge the first charge of his gun from his partner’s flesh.

Watching the guard twitch in a fit of electrical current, she dropped the gun and hurried to her feet. Planning on taking the stun gun from the man who now lay unconscious on the floor from friendly fire, she hurried forward.

Before she had the chance to grab the weapon, something hit her in the back like a ton of bricks. Much to her surprise she felt the strong current of electricity pulsing through her flesh, causing her to see stars. Limbs tingling from the relentless voltage, her senses went crazy in an attempt to fight off the electricity. Unfortunately, there was only so much anyone could do against such a device so Scarlett fell to her knees, helpless. She attempted to catch herself with her hands but the numbed feeling the stun gun left them with caused her to instead land face first on the floor.

The current stopped and Scarlett could feel her limbs still twitching, her fingers feeling distant and awkward. Knowing she didn’t have time to lay incapacitated and recover from the blow, she attempted to roll over and reach for the gun she’d earlier stolen. Managing to wrap her fingers around the handle after the second try she swung it behind her quickly, hoping to hit anyone who had gotten close enough to attack her in her moment of weakness.

Having guessed correctly, her swing hit the guard in the face, but with far less force than she had intended. The blow from the stun gun had weakened her drastically and her limbs weren’t cooperating as they should. Being merely annoyed by the smack of a gun to the side of his head, the guard pried it from her fingers and handed it to someone behind him. Peeking up once her vision was fully restored, Scarlett saw four more guards surrounding her, looking angry and preparing to go after her if she retaliated.

Feeling slowly returning to her limbs, Scarlett kicked hard upward, right in the guard’s crotch, causing him to fall over in pain, whimpering. This was something Scarlett only did when she was desperate. She felt it undignified to kick such a sensitive place. Though, the man had shot her with a stun gun when she’d been unarmed so if anyone had deserved it, she figured it was him. She felt very little guilt.

Grabbing at the leg of the nearest guard from this new wave of attack, she tugged hard and twisted, nearly knocking him off of his feet. Pulling her up by her arms, a third guard attempted to pin her against the wall. Struggling to get him away from him, she flailed and thrashed and threw a punch, hitting him square in the nose. He let go of her and grabbed onto his face, trying to stop the bleeding. Knowing she was outnumbered and outmanned, Scarlett still refused to give up easily despite the futility of the situation.

Dodging a punch from one of the guards she knew she couldn’t avoid harm forever. Another pushed her face first against the wall. Elbowing behind her, she managed only to anger the guard by knocking him in the throat. He grabbed her arm and flipped her around to face him. When she made to hit him again with already bloodied knuckles he took a swing at her and managed to hit next to her eye since she’d moved her head to the side only a moment too late. 

Feeling dazed from the blow, Scarlett shoved away from the wall with her feet and pushed the guard to the ground, swinging hard at his face to return the blow he’d given her. When the guard fell forward with the blow, Scarlett launched herself at him again but was grabbed on either side by two of the other guards before she could make contact. One of the guards she’d previously injured had a cloth in his hand and pressed it hard against her nose and mouth. Trying hard not to breathe in what was surely chloroform or something related to it, Scarlett shook her head in an attempt to get away.

A second punch to her stomach caused her to gag and forced her to release the breath she had been holding, forcing her to immediately inhale afterward. Despite her struggle and willingness to continue on in her fight, she felt the darkness creeping in on her vision. There was no point in trying to fight against the chemical beauty of chloroform. After several moments of struggle Scarlett fell unconscious and slid to the ground against the wall, defeated.


	3. Sometimes Doing the Right Thing Means Getting Burned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarlett wakes up face to face with Mikhail Ivanov, the cold blooded Russian head of the company holding her against her will. Threats are exchanged but a plan is made. So is a friend. After a week passes, Scarlett's plan is put into action. She's going to stop MedCo in their tracks. Unfortunately so is someone else. Pain is the game this chapter!

A chilling splash of water to the face startled Scarlett from unconsciousness. Widening her eyes after she managed to blink away the cold she took in her surroundings. Immediately she attempted to stand and bring her hands up defensively. Instead she found herself unable to move. There were metallic shackles surrounding her wrists and ankles, tugging her back onto her now soaked chair. Muttering curse words under her breath she closed her left eye as it stung; it was swollen and sore. One of the guards must have thrown a punch.

Figures.

Luckily, it didn’t feel like her nose had been broken.

Looking around the room and forcing her left eye open while ignoring the pain she saw the cast shadows of two men standing behind her. In front of her another man crouched. She recognized him as the Russian leader of MedCo. It took her a moment to recall his name, since her memory seemed to still render it unimportant.

“You put five of my guards in the medical wing.” His voice seemed colder than it had when they’d last spoken. Perhaps it was the scowl on his face as he looked at her like a disapproving father. Or perhaps it was the interrogation room she was being held in that made him more menacing. It could’ve even been the metallic shackles holding her combined with the shiner. Visibly shivering Scarlett stared down the man in front of her, refusing even to blink.

“No offense, Mr. Ivanov, but I’ve done better.” Leaning her head to the side, Scarlett wiped her dripping wet nose off on the top of her shirt. Blood smeared off with the water onto her shirt and she made a mental note to get that looked at when she had gotten free. Still, it didn’t feel like she’d broken her nose.

Rising to his feet the Russian didn’t seem angry with her nor did he seem happy. There was something apathetic about him that concerned Scarlett. Apathy usually meant sociopath in situations like this and that was _always_ trouble. If nothing else, it meant she was in store for more pain than she was prepared to handle. Considering her head was already pounding from the after effects of the chloroform and the shiner she’d received during her fight, she wasn’t sure how well she could hide it. Scarlett had a way with pain but even she had her threshold.

“Call me Mikhail, Miss Damien… I do think we’re far past formalities at this point, don’t you?”

“I’ll stick with Mr. Ivanov, thanks.” Scarlett leaned her head back and heaved a sigh. “If this is going to be some kind of torture bit where you attempt to teach me a lesson or make me regret what I’ve done then you’re wasting your time. There have been many before you who have tried to put me in my place and no one’s succeeded yet so… Really, I’m saving you some time here. I’m rather stubborn and set in my ways. It’s an uphill battle, _trust_ me.”

“Oh, you misunderstand me! What was it? The cold water dumped over your head? Is that what made you to think I had something sinister planned for you?” Despite his jovial tone, there was no expression on Mikhail’s face. This was clearly not his first attempt at intimidating a prisoner and as much as Scarlett hated to admit it, it was working.

“That and the shackles probably. I guess both could be kink, but sorry, you’re not really my type.” Scarlett exhaled dramatically. She could dance around the inevitable all she wanted and talk a big game but in reality she was stuck in that chair and at the mercy of Mr. Ivanov.

“You are not mine, either. No offense. Lovely and all but I prefer more… submissive women.” Mikhail sat down on the table in front of her and watched her curiously. “I am rather fond of you though, Miss Damien. You have proven to be far more… _exciting_ than we had initially anticipated you would be. When we had discovered what you had earlier done my colleagues suggested we torture you as punishment. In fact, they wanted us to kill your lover… Scott was his name, no? They wanted us to kill him immediately so you would know the consequences that came with disobedience.” 

Scarlett didn’t respond. 

They wouldn’t kill Scott. Not if they wanted her to do anything for them. If they killed him they’d have no leverage over her. There was nothing more dangerous than a woman who knew her way around a gun and had little else to worry about. This man knew that. Scarlett could tell just by looking at him.

Mikhail had nothing to prove unlike the older woman and he didn’t seem to be it for financial gain like the man with the glasses had been. Scarlett couldn’t get a read on Mikhail and this worried her. Being able to predict what common people would do in reaction to her was what made her good at her job. People were often predictable and habitual, which made them easy targets. This man did not fall into that category. Despite her nerves, she kept her face stern and her demeanor calm. It was like dealing with an animal; as long as she didn’t show fear, she wouldn’t become prey.

“But you know we wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t allow it. I wondered instead… What did you hope to accomplish when you crawled out of your laboratory? Clearly you weren’t trying to escape our grasp or you would have been long gone before we had even noticed.” Mikhail folded his arms on his lap and observed her with a deep sound that seemed more curious than frustrated.

“If I had wanted to escape then you would’ve never found me.” Scarlett cocked an eyebrow. There was no point in hiding what they both knew.

“So what _were_ you doing, then? Hmm? I can’t wrap my mind around it. Why on Earth would a talented woman in such a dangerous situation sneak into a secret part of an already secret facility when she very well could have snuck out under our noses?”

“Maybe I was bored. Maybe I just wanted to screw with you. I’m not really good at being told what to do,” Scarlett answered when she realized Mikhail wasn’t going to continue until she’d given an answer. Much to her surprise, he chuckled.

“Oh, you are clever little girl.” Standing he walked away from her and faced the outer wall.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sharp.” Scarlett closed her eyes. There was no point in being on the offensive now. She was too exhausted and too incapacitated to hope to find any leverage. Even if she could break free by some miracle, take out the two guards she’d noted behind her and then Mikhail she would have to deal with the numerous guards outside of the room and then, of course, the other two heads of MedCo who she assumed weren’t very far away. Besides, she had no idea where she was being held nor did she have the peace of mind to start searching the room for visual clues. Any plan she came up with now would be a bad one.

“You think that simply because you are pretty I do not see the intelligence behind those big blue eyes, hmm? You are smart. You are _very_ smart and it is getting you into trouble. There is no chance that you are dumb enough to go running around our facility in such a calculated manner without purpose. You had a reason for it and you will tell me before your contract is up.”

“Oh, so we’re still _working_ together?” Scarlett ignored the rest of the threats. Honestly, they’d gotten old and tired now. If they were going to kill her they would’ve just gotten it over with. “I figured you weren’t going to trust me on my own after this. I’m pretty sure that this is more of a hostage situation…”

“You’re right, we aren’t going to trust you. But a deal is a deal Miss Damien and you have work to finish. We require it to be done quickly. The only other option is to bring Mr. Stark in himself to finish your job and well… what would’ve been the point of going through all this trouble to get you if we did that, hmm?”

“Right, I’m sure that he’d _love_ to be associated with all of this. It’d fit in real well with his peace keeping press and pool parties.” Scarlett kept her eyes closed but snapped them open when she felt a hand on her wrist. Mikhail was removing her shackles with a small silver key. One by one she was freed from her bonds. He nodded toward the guards behind her and a moment later they were at her side, coaxing her to her feet and slipping handcuffs around her wrists to secure them behind her back.

“I’m not going to waste any more of my time asking you what you were doing in my facility, Miss Damien but believe me, I am just as stubborn as you. I will find out one way or another. You are messing with forces you are clearly underestimating. This is not a childish game. There are lives on the chess board and you are merely a pawn.” Turning his back on her once again, he continued. “You have a week to finish your work on those robotic limbs, Miss Damien.”

“Oh no, we had agreed that I had a four month contract. We’re only eight weeks in, unless I slept for two months when your guard knocked me out and I’m sure he didn’t hit me _that_ hard. If it wasn’t for the chloroform you wouldn’t have caught me.” Scarlett shoved at the guards in irritation and was met with just as irritated shoving.

“You changed the terms of our agreement when you attacked my men.”

“Oh, so it didn’t change the terms of our agreement when you completely switched up the plans on me, right? It didn’t change the terms of our agreement when you kidnapped Scott and held a gun to his head, did it? It only changes the terms when _I_ do something that _you_ don’t like, is that what I’m to understand? Well no offense, _Mikhail_ but you can rot in hell.”

“You have one week to complete your work or I will bring Scott into your lab and put a bullet through his head right before your eyes. Then we will see how quickly you complete your work while sitting next to his rotting corpse. If that doesn’t work, _Scarlett_ then I can find far more creative ways to get you to finish. You have one week. End of discussion.” Scarlett knew he was trouble but it had been a relief to see him finally act like it.

“Yeah, threatening me is going to make me work harder. You clearly weren’t listening.” Scarlett rolled her eyes. “Fine, one week. But don’t expect me to make it look pretty.” There was no way Scarlett could finish those robotic limbs in a week. Not if she planned on sleeping or taking time out of her day to eat. Something told her that her captors weren’t going to afford her those luxuries any longer. “I’m not a pawn by the way. I know exactly what piece I am on the chessboard and you can’t afford to lose me.”

Mikhail didn’t respond and after a few minutes of awkward waiting and silence a black bag was slipped over Scarlett’s head. They weren’t going to give her anymore clues. Instead, she listened to the sounds that followed. After moments spent walking she realized that she must have been in the area she’d broken into because she could hear the trucks in the loading dock. From there it was pretty easy to guess where she was being led. When they reached the basement where her laboratory was located she was handed off to another guard who they exchanged orders with.

She recognized the voice; it was the man who had given her the vodka and relief flooded over her for the first time since she’d regained consciousness. When she had been ushered inside of her laboratory the guard removed the black bag from over her head. Having decided to keep her eyes closed she at last opened them when she felt the guard touching the shiner she’d received. Quickly she tilted her head away from his touch and glared at him.

“Don’t, it really stings.”

“It is very bloody. Needs stitches, maybe.” Nodding toward the workbench she’d been using on a regular basis, the guard urged her to sit down. Suspicious of his intentions, Scarlett kept her eyes on this man who worked for her enemies and sat down where she’d been asked to. Moving behind her, he freed her wrists from the handcuffs she’d been bound with then moved in front of her again.

“No stitches, just really swollen I think.” Scarlett leaned away as the guard tried to touch the wound again.

“Stop flinching.”

“Stop touching it and I will.”

“Two seconds.” The guard held up two fingers and Scarlett sat impatiently, pondering what to do next. There was little she could do with her guard breathing down her neck, but he seemed to have a soft spot for her so perhaps she could use this to her advantage. The guard disappeared out the door and later returned with a first aid kit. Scarlett was rather surprised and flattered. “Now sit still while I fix.”

“I can’t promise anything. I’m a terrible patient. I’ve been told I either squirm too much or don’t show any emotion and scare the doctor.” Scarlett half smiled and closed her eyes while the guard cleaned out the cut next to her eye and placed small strips of medical tape over the wound to keep it from splitting open again. True to her nature, she’d only joked to break the tension. The fact was that she had a rather high tolerance for pain.

“Thank you.” He spoke after a moment into his cleaning.

“Hmm? What for? You’re the one helping me.” Not bothering to open her eyes, Scarlett weighed her options. There was no way that she could build robotic limbs for MedCo, not after all they’d done to her. It was very likely they planned on killing her and Scott regardless of the outcome. Scarlett had decided to go out with a bang. Even if the guards hovered over her shoulder to make sure she got her work done, she guessed they knew little to nothing about what she was actually working on. So long as she was working on _something_ that looked robotic, she could go through with her new plan. 

She had a pretty decent knowledge of the layout of the building and if she could create enough of a distraction she would perhaps be able to get to Scott. This time, she wouldn’t worry about how many bodies she left at her feet or how quietly she moved. MedCo had made it clear exactly what sort of game they were playing and Scarlett was going to prove to them exactly what made her the Queen on the chessboard.

“For not taking advantage of my kindness.”

“Hmm? I don’t recall extending you such a… uh, favor.” There was a huge risk to Scott’s life but when she weighed it against the damage that would be done to the rest of the world if she gave into MedCo’s demands, it seemed to be an easy choice. The guilt of owing Scott so much for having kept her out of shitty jails and taking care of her after drunken nights sank in the pit of her stomach. It was the same guilt that had gotten him into her bed and the same guilt that had made her promise to be with him. Oddly, there was no guilt in regards to their relationship, which Scarlett wasn’t entirely surprised by considering the circumstances. She was a terrible girlfriend and she knew it.

“I brought you vodka. You didn’t use it for anything except drink. I left door unlocked, you climbed out air vent instead.”

“Maybe I just didn’t notice you left it unlocked.”

“I am not naïve. I thank you.”

“Thanks for the vodka… and the smokes.” Scarlett smiled softly and shifted in her seat once he was done with the wound next to her eye.

“What’s your name?” He smiled just enough to comfort her. Scarlett was surprised that he hadn’t been warned not to communicate with her. Were these guards blissfully unaware of what MedCo was up to? Probably.

“Scarlett,” she said simply, leaning against the table and pulling the half built robotic arm toward her. As she shifted in her seat something cold touched her leg inside of her shoe. The pocket knife she’d stolen from the guard hadn’t been discovered. A smile crept over her lips that her guard friend clearly thought was in regards to their conversation.

“I am Sergei.” He nodded his head and returned her smile. “You are brave woman, Scarlett. I would not try that again. We have orders to shoot with real bullets now. Before was just taser.”

“Don’t worry, Sergei. I’m not going to try anything quite like _that_ anymore.” Scarlett’s tone darkened as she dismantled pieces of the arm. It wouldn’t take nearly as long to assemble an explosive in the shell of the limbs she’d created.

“But you are going to try something, no?”

“If I told you then you’d have to shoot me, wouldn’t you Sergei?” Scarlett didn’t look back at him but she could hear him clicking his tongue in disapproval.

“You are big trouble, Scarlett.” The guard stood and headed toward his post outside the door.

“Sergei?” Scarlett turned in her chair to face him. The man didn’t respond but looked back at her. “Make sure you’re not here at the end of this week, alright?” Sergei didn’t respond for a moment, perhaps weighing his conscience. Was he worried about loyalty to his company and helping his new friend, or maybe wondering what she had planned?

“My throat has tickle, I think perhaps I am coming down with flu,” he spoke after contemplating her words. Scarlett sighed with relief then turned back to her work on the robotic arm in front of her. It would take all the time she had left, but she had a feeling that she could make do with the items she’d been provided with to build the robotic limbs.

Time went faster than Scarlett hoped it would as time always did in situations most dire. 

While Sergei allowed her to sleep he shared shifts watching over her with other guards who poked and prodded at her when she took too long to accomplish a task or napped for more than an hour. The food she’d been provided with had been coming in increasingly smaller portions of more disgusting looking meals over the week and while she was exhausted and now malnourished, she continued on with her work.

Glancing up at the clock on the wall, she noted she had three hours left until one of the heads at MedCo demanded to see what she had accomplished. Exhausted but mentally preparing herself for what came next, Scarlett hummed a tune to keep her mind clear and free of all frustrations while she put the finishing touches on her project. The explosive devices were filled with as many nails and other small metallic objects that she could find so when they were triggered, the shrapnel would be impressive. Hopefully, with any luck, she wouldn’t be in the room when they went off. When the hands were switched on to start functioning, they would begin to move but a timer would activate and in ten minutes time they’d explode.

While assembling the final touches on the fruit of her exhaustion Scarlett heard the radio turn on behind her. The guard was speaking into it in hushed tones and without even acknowledging her he headed out the door and left it partially open. Curious, Scarlett watched the door and through the small gap she could see other guards hurrying along, shouting orders to each other. Something far more important than her last day was happening. Something so important, that the guard would leave her potentially armed with robotic weaponry with the door unlocked.

Unarmed, since the robot limbs were merely bombs, and unsure of what was going on, Scarlett continued finishing up her work and listened. She ended up bracing herself against her desk very suddenly when the whole building shook. Something had exploded; something _not_ of her design. Had someone else’s experiment gone wrong on another floor? Is that why the guards had abandoned ship so quickly? She couldn’t fathom what else would cause such a noise, not unless they were under attack. But what were the odds that the MedCo facility would be discovered and attacked on the very day she planned escape? 

Astronomical, at the very least. Not impossible, but still.

Things weren’t going to go according to her neatly laid out plan. That became obvious when the building shook a second time, this time the source was much closer. The ceiling groaned above her and she grimaced as dust fell in front of her. Hurrying to finish up the weapon she’d built, she pushed it aside on the table, making sure it wouldn’t fall to the ground if the building continued to shake.

Then the lights dimmed as though the generators supporting the building hadn’t existed at all. Not even the dim emergency lights provided near every door had switched on, meaning that the building had been completely cut off from all power sources.

“Time to go.” Scarlett closed her eyes and groped around until she found the flimsy flashlight she’d been provided with to assist her in her work. While she had insisted upon having a Maglite when she first begun working, those overseeing her saw the potential harm she could commit with such a heavy duty flashlight and had provided her with several smaller bargain brand ones. Reaching underneath the table, Scarlett grabbed the pocket knife she’d taped there the day she’d been brought back to her room to start working again. It would be her only protection.

If she wasn’t going to hand over the bombs to the heads of MedCo she’d have to think of another way to trigger the limbs to explode. Suddenly recalling the vodka she’d been given by her friend, Sergei, she pointed the flashlight at the bottom of the crate she’d hidden it in a week prior. Digging through the supplies for a few moments, she pulled out the bottle of vodka and the rag she’d hidden it under for so long. Resting it down on the desk, Scarlett stared at it and contemplated what she had to do.

She’d never been fond of Molotov cocktails. They were unpredictable and dangerous. On top of that, Scarlett had never been a fan of fire. It was just something that was far too dangerous and volatile to use as a weapon. She couldn’t control where the fire went and what it destroyed. It was very easy to cause her and her allies harm with fire along with her enemies, but it didn’t look like she had much of a choice. Picking up the bottle, she took a swig of the alcohol and felt it burn her throat. She’d also never been fond of vodka, at least without cranberry juice, but with the little amount she’d eaten since her practical enslavement one swig of it would be more than enough to take the edge off.

Placing the bottle back down, Scarlett picked up the blueprints she’d designed for the weapon she’d been forced to make and stared at the thick paper in disdain. Her skills had caused her trouble in the past but never quite like this. Perhaps it wasn’t her skills to blame but instead her attachment, or rather, obligation to Scott. If she had stayed on her own then it wouldn’t have been such a big deal when they’d taken someone they had thought had been her lover. Instead, she was stuck underneath the thumb of a bloodthirsty Stark Industries subsidiary because some man she had confusing feelings for was being held hostage.

Immediately feeling guilty for those thoughts, she tore the blueprints in half and pulled the matches from her table closer to her. They’d been provided to her along with cigarettes from Sergei after he’d given her vodka. While she’d never been a smoker, she knew that the cigarettes would carry a flame longer than a match would and kept them around, pretending to occasionally smoke them so her friend, the guard, wouldn’t think she was taking advantage of him.

“So deceitful Scarlett, don’t you ever grow tired of yourself?” Striking the match against the side of the box twice until the end sparked and caught fire, she stared at the flame for a second. “I guess not.” Setting the match to the end of the blueprints, she set the now alight pile of paper onto the floor, away from anything else flammable. All evidence of what she had been building would be erased. No one would be able to recreate the robots she’d been commissioned to build.

Turning back to the bottle of vodka she shoved the rag into the opening until it was dipped in the alcohol, which she’d barely touched since it’d been provided for her despite how much easier it would’ve been to deal with captivity while drunk.

“Miss Damien!” The door flung open and one of the three owners of MedCo stepped into the room, holding an electric lantern. The open door provided her with the sound of whatever chaos had been going on outside of her prison cell. “What the hell are you doing?” Scarlett searched her memory for the man’s name, back when he’d introduced himself so long ago before she’d signed her contract. Erick Reno; that was it. She snapped her finger in recognition and pointed at the man.

“What the hell is going on out there?” Scarlett stepped in front of the burning blueprints, knowing that with nothing flammable beneath them, the fire would put itself out once all of the paper had been consumed. Erick pushed past her and started to stomp on the papers in an attempt to put them out. Scarlett shoved him away from the blueprints, insisting they’d burn. Setting down the bottle on her desk, she flipped open the blade of the pocket knife but before she could aim it at Erick she heard the sound of a gun cocking.

“You little bitch! You double crossed us, didn’t you? What did you do? Who did you call? How did you call _anyone?_ Hands up! Where I can see them.” Erick pointed the gun at her angrily. Concealing the blade the best she could in her hand, Scarlett held up her arms and sighed heavily. Now was not the time to get shot, not when she was so close to escaping. The building shook around them again and continued to rumble as something collapsed above.

“Double crossed?” Scarlett looked surprised then mumbled. “Double crossing someone who double crossed you… Not to mention kidnapped my boyfriend and holding me prisoner for weeks forcing me to build something I would have never built for a Stark company in the first place… isn’t this just sort of redeeming myself? I wouldn’t call it a double…”

“Shut up! You cannot afford to be a smart ass, not unless you want a bullet in your skull!” Erick’s eyes flashed with rage as he straightened the glasses on his face. The pile of smoldering paper on the floor was curling up, destroyed and unrecognizable.

“Testy, aren’t we?” Scarlett rolled her eyes, and grumbled in irritation when Erick grabbed a handful of her messy hair and shoved her against the desk, holding the cold steel of the gun against her side, just beneath her tank top.

“Don’t talk back to me, you little bitch,” he hissed in her ear and with the hand that had been gripping her hair, reached for the limbs on the end of the table. Scarlett widened her eyes.

“Well, this is a problem,” mumbling under her breath, she grimaced when Erick shoved the gun harder into her side as if to tell her to shut up. Still gripping the knife in her hand, Scarlett bided her time while Erick pulled the pile of robotic limbs closer. They looked nothing like the original plans. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that she’d sabotaged the weapon she’d been building for them. Though, it was likely he wouldn’t be able to tell that she’d turned it into a weapon of her own.

“What did you do?” Erick threw the robot arm back into the pile and both he and Scarlett looked at the limbs in surprise when something clicked.

“So much for a silent trigger,” Scarlett whispered under her breath. Grabbing her by her hair again, Erick shoved Scarlett onto the ground. Rolling instantly onto her back so she could see what the owner of MedCo would do next she found herself face to face with him as he hunched over her, aiming his pistol between her eyes.

Holding her breath, she leaned up on her elbows, flipping the knife around in her grasp, hand stinging from holding onto the blade. Erick leaned closer to her, aiming the gun at her chest, fist shaking with rage.

“What did you do? What the hell did you do? You betrayed us! What is that? _What did you do?_ ” Scooting closer to her, Scarlett didn’t back down as the metal of the gun touched her chest, despite how her heart was racing with fear. It wouldn’t exactly be easy to escape with a bullet wound to the chest, or any other part of her for that matter. Even if she got away, if she’d been shot in the process, then how on earth was she going to walk all the way to rescue, or deal with whatever chaos was happening in the building above them?

“Did you really think I was going to build those things? Did you really think that once I found out who you worked for and what your motives were that I would build you a weapon with the potential to start the next world war? Are you really _that_ naïve? All three of you couldn’t figure out that I wouldn’t cooperate no matter whose head you held a gun to!”

“You selfish little brat, you little twerp! You’d let your lover die? Die so you could have the last laugh?” Erick looked at her in disbelief. The stoic demeanor he’d had upon their last meeting completely absent.

Glancing at the desk where the seemingly innocent pile of limbs lay, she knew the clock was ticking on at least one of them. There wasn’t much time for her to get out of the building before the whole thing went up in flames. Knowing it was now or never, Scarlett tried to find her way around the gun, when Erick gave her a chance.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you!” Moving the gun away from her chest, in order to point it toward her face while he grabbed her hair to pull her closer, he let the gun aim away for just a split second. Scarlett swung her head forward and bashed it into Erick’s, stunning him enough to force him to let go of her hair. In a flash she’d grabbed his wrist and just in time as he’d fired a shot that whizzed by her ear and into the wall behind her.

“Before you hold someone hostage to force them to do your bidding you should probably learn a little bit more about who you’re dealing with,” Scarlett hissed, finally annoyed enough to go after her aggressor.

With one swift stab, she plunged the pocket knife into his chest, pulled her legs free and kicked him away from her. Erick howled in pain, trying to pull the knife from his chest, but each tug made the wound more painful. Scarlett got to her feet and stepped on his hand, putting pressure on his wrist so he’d be forced to let go of the pistol. Reaching to grab the gun she froze when she heard the static of a handheld radio.

“Kill him,” Erick coughed into his radio to whoever was on the other end. Turning to face the man on the floor, her chest tightened as she heard the response. “You’re too late, Scarlett,” Erick laughed, finally managing to gather the courage and strength to pull the blade from his chest.

Scarlett held the gun aimed at the floor, realizing her chance to save Scott had passed and her only chance to save herself was fading as she wasted time dealing with Erick’s taunting.

“It’s Miss Damien.” Aiming the gun, she pulled the trigger and shot Erick between the eyes twice. Turning away from the spray of blood she reached down to pull the bloodied knife from his grasp, folding it up and ultimately putting it in her pocket. Grabbing the bottle of vodka from the desk where she’d left it, Scarlett didn’t look at the bloodied mess of a corpse she’d left on the floor as she stepped over it and headed out the door that Erick had left open.

Rushing down the hall, Scarlett didn’t run into much resistance. Crouching low as the building above her shook once again when she reached the stairwell Scarlett grew concerned. She knew that whatever must have been happening triggered some kind of an evacuation of the building. While she had expected alarms to go off to signify that, she guessed that when the electricity had been killed, so had the potential for alarms.

Not quite willing to give up on Scott so easily, and not ready to forgive herself for leaving the building without being sure he was gone Scarlett rushed up the stairs and down the familiar corridors of the first floor toward the loading dock.

Reaching the big doors, Scarlett heard voices on the other end, shouting and giving out orders. Shoving the door open hard, she felt the resistance of someone behind it and watched them fall to the ground. Surprised, a circle of guards who looked as though they had been planning an attack or escape turned toward her.

Realizing who she was, they reached for their guns. Scarlett could tell at a glance that they weren’t using stun guns anymore, at least not for her. Her hand was still tightly wrapped around the bottle of vodka she’d turned into a Molotov cocktail so quickly she struck a match, lit the cloth and tossed the bottle in front of the guards. The alcohol sprayed over their legs, and while it wasn’t enough to stop them, the fire from the match and the cloth quickly spread onto the flammable liquid, leaving the group more concerned with their legs being on fire than with Scarlett.

Not taking a chance to look back, Scarlett hunched low and rushed through the loading dock until she reached the maintenance room. Prepared to break down the door to the secret hallway, Scarlett found she didn’t have to since it had been left wide open.

Hurrying down the hall, she kicked open doors to her left and her right, finding many computer systems and weapons inside. At the end of the hallway, there was a door labeled Biohazard. She was stopped only when something inside suddenly exploded!

Throwing up her arms to protect herself, she leapt onto the floor and hoped to avoid the brunt of the damage. Shrapnel flew overhead, the roof of several of the rooms around her collapsed. Hurrying to her hands and knees she did her best to avoid as much of the debris as she could.

Considering herself lucky when she didn’t end up completely crushed beneath the rubble of the building, she looked around the bright African desert and was met with dust clouds obstructing her view in every direction. Whatever was happening to the MedCo building had kicked up so much of the dry dirt of the desert that it was nearly impossible to see exactly what had caused the chaos.

Getting to her feet, she stumbled over the rubble and after a few steps forward, realized her right leg was aching in pain and could not be ignored. That was saying quite a bit for her. Glancing down momentarily, nervous about seeing a piece of shrapnel sticking out of her leg, Scarlett grimaced when she saw something wet on her pants. It burned at the denim of her jeans and seeped through to burn at the flesh of her leg.

The biohazard sign on the door came to mind and Scarlett realized that some kind of chemical weapon must have been being built in the secret laboratories and now, whatever chemical it was, was burning horribly at her flesh. Leg aching and threatening to give out beneath her, Scarlett knew she didn’t have time to try and wash off whatever chemical it was.

Wiping her face and feeling blood on her forehead, Scarlett realized how hard she’d smacked her head to the floor when she’d taken refuge from the blast. Ears ringing and aching from how close she’d been to the explosion, everything began to spin dangerously around her. If this kept up she’d pass out.

“You can’t give up now Scarlett, come on. Just a little bit further.” Knowing it was likely that she was going to be killed by whomever was attacking the MedCo facility, Scarlett had to at least try to get away now that she’d made it out of the building.

Shuffling away from the rubble, Scarlett’s leg finally gave out in the desert sand. Cursing beneath her breath she winced as the sand pushed into whatever wound had begun to form there and stung. Before she could address it, the desert quieted very suddenly.

Recognizing that unsettling calm before the storm, Scarlett threw her hands over her ears and stayed low to the ground. The bombs she’d built inside her laboratory must have gone off. The explosion that followed was immense; far more immense than she had expected it to be. The sound of the blast was deafening and the ground quaked beneath her. It seemed to last forever, the destruction she’d been responsible for. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that Scott was in that building, a gunshot to his head and now his body decimated beneath the rubble, possibly never to be recovered. Guilt struck her once again. After all he’d done to protect her from herself, he had ultimately been destroyed by the woman he had tried so desperately to get to love him.

Staying on the ground until the world had stopped shaking and sometime after that, Scarlett rolled over onto her back at long last only to be face to face with one of the guards. He was bleeding from a wound on his arm, his pants and legs looking badly burned. He held a gun in his shaking hand and was aiming it at her unsteadily.

Scarlett grabbed for the gun she’d stolen from Erick before she’d killed him and realized it was gone. Somewhere in the confusion of the explosion she’d dropped the weapon and hadn’t had the chance to look for it. If she’d lingered even a moment longer inside the building, she’d be dead from the explosion. Glancing at the rubble, she could see only the skeleton of the MedCo building, even if half of it was obstructed by the dust that had been further kicked up by her chaos. Whatever remained would be unsafe.

The sound of gunfire and shouting echoed through the desert. She hadn’t noticed it after the chaos of the explosion. There was some kind of battle raging around her and from what she could hear, it seemed awfully one sided.

No one had expected the building to explode of its own accord. Scarlett had thrown a wrench into everyone’s plans. The guard aimed his gun at her, hand shaking still out of rage or nerves, Scarlett couldn’t tell. She sat up and attempted to reach for the knife in her pocket, but the guard seemed to catch wise. He was mouthing something and after listening hard for a moment and reading his lips, she realized he was telling her to get up.

The annoying ringing in her ears only permitted her to hear things that were louder than the ringing, and most of that seemed to be gunfire, what sounded like high tech laser fire, and explosions riddled with the occasional scream.

After forcing herself to concentrate and listen, she managed to get onto her feet, her leg barely able to support her after the damage the chemical on her skin had caused.

“Hands up!” The voice was garbled but she could hear it better now; the ringing had lessened but not by much. Scarlett’s head was pounding worse than it had in ages. She realized that no matter what skills she possessed in the art of combat, with her leg unable to support her properly and her head pounding so severely she wouldn’t stand a chance at getting to this guard with the knife in her pocket before he shot her.

Throwing her hands above her head in frustration, and growing angry at how damn far she’d come only to be cornered once again by MedCo, Scarlett gave the guard an ultimatum.

“Kill me!” Hearing her own voice echoing in her ears, darkness flashed in her vision and threatened unconsciousness. Determined not to pass out before she’d finished giving the guard his options, she stumbled forward, her injured leg nearly giving out on her.

Startled the guard held his gun aimed at the woman.

“Don’t move! Stay where you are!”

“You’re going to have to kill me! Shoot me! Do it! _Now!_ ” Scarlett hissed.

“Sorry Miss Damien but you have a contract to fulfill.” The guard held his gun, trembling still. “Perhaps we’ll grant you death after you’ve done so.” Scarlett cursed and contemplated ending it on her own with the knife in her pocket. Or perhaps she could force the guard to shoot her. She would rather be dead than finish the work that she’d been doing for MedCo and while she didn’t _want_ to end her life, it seemed like the only logical way out.

Before she could decide on her next course of action there was a bright blast of white light, tinged with blue. It was some sort of laser. The guard in front of her fell backwards. Scarlett stared in awe at the collapsed man and looked around in surprise for the source of the laser fire.

In the chaos of the bright light Scarlett hadn’t even heard the gunshot. Pain suddenly burned white hot through her side. Stealing a glance she saw the blood instantly pouring from the wound and spreading over her shirt. Hunching over and grabbing her side in an attempt to stop the bleeding, Scarlett knew she didn’t have time to sit there and wait for whatever had shot the guard.

Hurrying over to where the guard now lay dead on the ground she pried the gun he had fired in his dying moments from his hands and started through the sands. Her leg nearly gave out again as she trudged forward. Head swimming she tried to keep it together but there was little use in her efforts.

Blood loss, alcohol, pain, and whatever chemical had splashed on her had finally taken its toll. Adrenaline could only help her cope with so much and the shock was finally wearing off. Cursing beneath her breath, Scarlett blinked furiously to try and fight off the darkness encroaching on her vision.

Tripping as her leg gave out beneath her, she fell face first in the sand and dropped the handgun she’d stolen. There was a sound she didn’t recognize, like something rushing through the air; thrusters perhaps. Mechanical whirring filled her ears, but was unrecognizable for the most part. She’d never heard anything like it before.

Leaning her head up to try and get a last look before unconsciousness took over Scarlett could only make out one thing: red and gold metallic feet, walking toward her through the sand. Head spinning and unsure of what to make of it, she could hear a voice coming from whatever was in front of her but couldn’t make out what it was saying.

Wanting to yell and get to her feet to find out what the hell had happened to the MedCo facility while she’d been planning her escape, she found herself physically unable to do so.

The darkness of unconsciousness finally took over and Scarlett gave in to the toll her wounds had taken on her body. The last thing she felt was the heat of the desert sand on her face, stinging at the wound on her forehead.


	4. It's All Fun and Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wounded and confused, Scarlett finds herself in Malibu. Who else is she face to face other than the man who she blames for the pain she's in! But something feels off. Deciding to play it safe, Scarlett tries to adjust to her surroundings and figure out the truth.

Headache didn’t properly describe how badly Scarlett’s head was pounding. Someone was beating a drum against her temples. She _swore_ that this had to be the worst hangover she’d ever had. And she’d had her share of incredibly nasty hangovers. Exactly how much did she have to drink? She couldn’t remember where she had gone or what she had done. It must have been _quite_ the party.

Shifting in her bed she found only that it was cold and uncomfortable. This wasn’t her bed at all. Something soft was draped over her body but it didn’t feel much like a blanket. Had she fallen asleep on the bathroom floor again? It wouldn’t be the first time she’d woken up in front of a toilet. Had Scott finally gotten tired of dragging her drunken ass to bed after she’d spent the night getting into bar fights and drinking herself blind?

Bringing her hand up to apply pressure to her pounding forehead she felt the coarse material of a bandage against her tingling and numbed fingertips. What the hell had happened at the bar? 

That’s right. 

She’d hit her head during an explosion not during a bar fight. 

Explosion? That didn’t sound right.

Scarlett instantly sat upright and snapped her eyes. Heart racing with sudden adrenaline, she searched her surroundings. Nothing was familiar. It wasn’t her laboratory but it _seemed_ like a laboratory of _some_ kind. The room spun and made her stomach twist into knots. Funny how a concussion could make everything so damn blurry. Closing her eyes she tried to recall the details of what had rendered her unconscious. Was it the explosion or something more? Her memory was foggy and the dizziness was doing her no favors.

She didn’t have time to lie around clueless. What if she was still in danger?

Hadn’t she been working for MedCo in order to buy time to save Scott? The memories flooded back. She’d escaped… sort of. Something had happened outside of the facility but she struggled to recall.

During her escape attempt she’d been injured. There had been some kind of chemical on her leg. She didn’t remember how exactly but she recalled the pain had been severe enough to knock her off of her feet.

Scarlett pulled what turned out to be a Mylar blanket off and immediately groped for her leg. She recoiled from the pain that coursed through every nerve ending like fire. Upon closer inspection she found her leg had been cared for. Unfortunately the chemical had done substantial damage beforehand. How bad it was, she couldn’t tell. Judging by the way her leg trembled it would take awhile to heal.

But _where_ was she? Who had taken care of her? How the hell had she gotten out of the African desert? It was difficult to focus. Whoever had saved her had opted _not_ to bring her to a hospital. Was she being held prisoner again by a new captor or maybe MedCo? Again she replayed her memories and attempted to piece them together. She’d seen something before passing out.

Metallic boots. They had been red and gold. 

Suddenly Scarlett knew _exactly_ where she was.

Carefully climbing off of the cold steel table Scarlett looked down to see that she was still wearing the same thing she’d passed out in. The jeans she had on were tattered and half destroyed from acid and her shirt was a dirty, bloodied mess. Her side stung and she wondered how the hell _that_ had happened.

Oh, right. Someone had shot her. What a rough day.

Recoiling as the cold concrete met her feet, Scarlett was made aware that her shoes were missing.

She was in Tony Stark’s laboratory.

Or garage. 

There were numerous expensive looking classic cars, some half built and in various states of repair, others looking pristine and newly purchased. At first Scarlett _thought_ it was a garage. On the other end of the room lining the wall were the Iron Man suits, each numbered with care. Had he really been foolhardy enough to leave a stranger in his laboratory unguarded? 

Of course not. It was more likely that he was confident that no one could get past his security system. Was his system _really_ as foolproof as it had been fabled to be? Scarlett was willing to find out. Curiosity couldn’t be resisted.

Much to her surprise after she’d taken a few steps a gentle voice filled the room.

“I must ask you to stay put.” 

Searching around for the source defensively, try as she might Scarlett couldn’t find it.

“Do not be alarmed, madam you are safe. I would recommend you take a seat until Mr. Stark has returned and can attend to you,” the soft male voice with a hint of a British accent was so convincingly lifelike that if Scarlett hadn’t known better she would’ve thought that someone had _actually_ been watching her and speaking to her from another room. She’d heard rumors of the artificially intelligent system that ran the Stark household as well as various other Stark technologies but witnessing it firsthand was astounding.

“Where am I?” Scarlett asked, far too curious to stay seated. While she despised _everything_ Tony Stark stood for she couldn’t deny that the man was one of the greatest minds of his generation and had achieved remarkable things. The problem with Tony was that he very much assumed he _was_ the greatest mind of his generation when Scarlett knew a handful of people just as remarkable. While she didn’t have the kind of fame and fortune Tony Stark had been blessed it didn’t make her ideas any less pertinent or her intellect any less remarkable.

“I recommend that you take a seat, madam.” The voice _almost_ sounded concerned. But Scarlett knew it was merely a simulated emotion. Even Tony Stark wasn’t arrogant enough to create robotic technology that had human emotions. Then again, if anyone were to create an “ _I, Robot”_ type artificially intelligent being it would most likely be Tony Stark. “The damage you sustained is quite severe. You could irritate your wounds, pull stitches and renew bleeding.” The voice responded without answering her question.

“You’ve been instructed to tell me nothing about anything until Mr. Stark arrives, haven’t you?”

“Yes, madam,” the voice responded.

“What do I call you then? Am I allowed to know that?” Scarlett crept further into the laboratory, walking toward the circular desk in the center of the room where there were several darkened computer monitors. Two had screensavers depicting images of the same vintage cars that sat across the room. Judging by the pictures the laboratory had undergone several renovations.

“You may call me Jarvis. Madam, I apologize but if you do not return to your resting place I will be forced to take more severe measures.” The voice echoed around her. Scarlett poked around the desk, making sure not to actually touch anything but rather to get a feel for the layout of the room. Having time to think had become a dangerous thing, particularly within a place that provided such temptation to a woman with her skills. The more Scarlett had time to think the darker her thoughts became.

Scott was dead.

Even if Erick hadn’t ordered him to be killed during their struggle the building had been destroyed with him inside it. If he hadn’t died in the collapse it would be nothing short of a miracle. Tony Stark had surely been cleaning up the mess he’d created in South Africa. It was a cover up. She could only assume that the attack on the building had been perpetrated by him in an attempt to keep anyone from finding out what he’d gotten involved in. Was he really that ruthless a monster? The cocky but lovable persona he played in front of the cameras was a mask for something far more sinister.

Ignoring the computer she instead kept prying while she had the opportunity. Tony probably wanted to question her about what she knew to see if she’d be a threat to his reputation. Either that or he would attempt to use her as a witness to corroborate what had happened out in the desert. 

Little did Tony Stark know he’d invited a snake into his den. While her instincts were telling her to destroy the computers and kill Tony the moment the opportunity arose a tiny voice in the back of her mind objected. She had to be smart about this.

This was a rare opportunity. 

If she killed him now Tony would die a hero in the eyes of the people. Scarlett was reminded of the famous moment in Shakespeare’s Hamlet where Hamlet was given the perfect opportunity to murder his uncle, but finds him in prayer. Not wanting to give his treacherous uncle a chance at eternal bliss, Hamlet resisted. Scarlett decided she would do so as well. Formulating a plan would give better results. If she could find concrete proof of what Tony had been doing with MedCo she could do more than just harm him physically.

Exposing the horrible truth and the atrocities he’d committed would destroy his legacy. That would be _far_ more satisfying than murdering him on the spot would be. If her plan failed, that’s when she’d take to physical violence. While her rage bubbled inside her she would have to swallow the frustration and remind herself of how sweet vindication would taste. It wouldn’t take her more than a few days to get exactly what she wanted. Her body reminded her instantly of what else she needed: food and water. 

But _why_ had Tony brought her to his home instead of to a hospital? She’d have to find out and maybe weasel her way into his good graces. It didn’t mean she had to be nice to him, from what she’d heard he liked a challenge. Perhaps someone _not_ giving him everything he wanted would be seen as intriguing rather than irritating. Maybe even having an intellectual equal would provide her with the leg up that she needed. Glancing around she saw a pile of what seemed like scrap metal on the work table next to an array of tools. There were mounds of the same scrap on the floor but they had been scorched and destroyed. It seemed the project Tony had been working on had been victim to failed attempts on multiple occasions.

“So tell me, what does Jarvis stand for?” Scarlett walked around the desk and closer to the table where she’d spied the scrap metal. At face value she couldn’t tell what the scraps were supposed to be. But perhaps that was the problem. Maybe Tony wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be building either.

“Just a rather very intelligent system, madam,” Scarlett imagined the voice was smiling. It’d been quiet for a few moments which left her wondering if its threats had been empty.

“Clever,” Scarlett scoffed. Most of the artificially intelligent creations she’d had dealt with had broken sounding awkward voices. This machine had child-like curiosity and thoughts of its own. How dangerous it was to create such technology. Tony must have been incredibly confident in the he’d restrictions built into the coding to have gone through with it. If it had been taken into the wrong hands, Jarvis could become incredibly dangerous.

There was a soft whirring behind her and much to her surprise a robotic clamp grabbed onto her wrist and began to pull her back toward the table at the far end of the room. The robot wasn’t rough on her but was firm enough that she couldn’t pull her wrist free.

“Hey!” Scarlett found the grip of the robot quite strong and eventually relented instead of tugging. It was a fruitless endeavor. The wounds she’d sustained were making her weary. It would be too much effort to try and break free. Besides that, Scarlett was sure that there would be other security measures taken if she went to such extremes.

“My apologies, madam but you were warned. Please take your seat and rest until Mr. Stark arrives,” the robot spoke in that same friendly voice. When Scarlett had tried to pull her arm free she’d suddenly become _very_ aware of the bullet wound in her side. What she hadn’t realized was that the bullet had both grazed her side _and_ her arm. She hadn’t even realized there was a wound there until she felt the pull on it.

It was the gunshot that had finally knocked her unconscious in the desert. Before then she’d barely kept it together. Maybe she’d been provided with painkillers. It was hard to tell sometimes. Just because her tolerance for pain was high didn’t mean she didn’t feel it. She guessed it was more likely that the pain in her leg was so intense her mind had dulled the other wounds to help her cope. The human body was funny like that.

“Fine! _Fine._ ” Scarlett sat on the table she’d been led to and narrowed her eyes. Honestly, her body was relieved to be relaxing again despite her objections. While she hadn’t realized it while she’d been exploring her leg was burning painfully and now aching from the effort. Perhaps she hadn’t been given any medicine after all.

“Again, my apologies.” Jarvis said, sounding truly sincere. Scarlett thought that it could be the British accent that made the intelligent computer sound remorseful and nothing more.

“It’s fine. You’re just doing your job.” Scarlett felt a surge of anger toward Tony Stark. Not only had he kept her from going to a hospital for proper treatment, but he’d been the reason why she’d needed medical attention in the first place! Hands trembling with frustration, she clenched her fists in an attempt to calm down. After all that he’d been responsible for Tony Stark had the audacity to keep her confined to one of the tables in his laboratory. A table!

While it was possible that he had no idea who she was or any of her history she thought it was a dangerous concept to keep _any_ stranger within arm’s reach of his suits. On top of that, if he knew her reputation then he would have to know that being in his laboratory unsupervised was like bringing a hungry child into a candy store and telling them to buy whatever they wanted. When he kept her from examining his inventions and clever devices it was like telling her she couldn’t have any of the candy that had been promised.

Stewing in her own anger Scarlett reconsidered killing Tony the moment he walked into the room before he knew what was coming. As satisfying as her murderous thoughts were Scarlett knew that killing Tony Stark was impractical. The security system was intelligent enough to alert the authorities the moment that she became aggressive and there were likely other defense mechanisms built into the house to keep her from escaping after doing such a thing. If there weren’t such systems then she’d be entirely shocked and a little disappointed. Announcing he was some kind of super hero on international news was practically inviting his enemies to come into his house and cause him and his loved ones harm.

Scarlett suddenly considered something she hadn’t truly thought about before. Did Tony Stark _have_ any loved ones? She knew about his assistant, the notorious Pepper Potts, but she’d heard that their attempt at romance hadn’t worked out the way they’d both dreamt it would. After they had worked out the kinks she had returned to being his assistant and confidant while he’d returned to his position as CEO of Stark Industries. 

Then there was the driver she’d seen accompanying Tony in many of his press photos, but she wasn’t sure how close he’d been as a friend or otherwise. There was of course, his most recent partner in crime fighting, the Warmachine. Scarlett wasn’t aware of what the man’s name was who controlled the suit but she’d read in the papers that he’d gone to MIT with Tony where the two had become friends. He’d been a Colonel if she recalled correctly.

For someone she couldn’t stand, she knew more than most did about Tony Stark. It wasn’t in Scarlett’s nature to hate something simply because others felt strongly toward it but instead she did research so that when it came time to pass judgment, she had an informed opinion. 

So before she’d decided how she felt about Tony Stark and what he stood for, she’d learned as much as she could find about him and had then formed an opinion based on fact. And the fact was that Tony Stark was a brilliant douche bag. Scarlett couldn’t think of a better way to describe him. While in more recent days it seemed he was trying to redeem himself in the eyes of the public, Scarlett had seen firsthand what he’d _really_ been doing behind closed doors. He was the most despicable kind of villain; hidden behind a vale of redemption and heroism.

Able to mentally calm down and talk herself down from murdering Tony Stark the moment she met him, Scarlett turned very suddenly in her spot on the table when she heard the sound of the door opening. It was apparently just in time that she’d rationalized her thoughts.

“Jarvis, can you bring up those schematics of the new reactor amplifier for me? I’ve got a few new ideas.” Tony Stark, wearing a dark colored t-shirt over a long sleeved white one and jeans walked into the room without bothering to look up from his cell phone. He was far less impressive looking outside of a well tailored suit. When Tony didn’t look up and approached his desk Jarvis spoke up.

“Sir, our guest is awake at long last.” Tony walked to his desk before looking over at the woman seated on the table since Jarvis had reminded him she existed and hadn’t brought up the schematics as he’d requested. Scarlett guessed that Jarvis hadn’t done as Tony commanded as some kind of precautionary measure since she’d been prying through Tony’s things only moments prior. Currently looking worse for wear, Scarlett was still a lovely woman to say the least and Tony couldn’t help but instantly turn on the charm he was so famous for.

“Oh, is she now? You should’ve called me down sooner, Jarvis.” Tony smiled pleasantly and walked toward the woman. “Jarvis bring up those schematics by my desk will you? And why haven’t you offered this lovely woman a drink or something to eat? It’s been days since she’s had anything other than an IV in her arm, I’m sure she’s starved. Where’s the hospitality?”

“Yes sir, my apologies. Madam, would you like something to eat or drink? Our chefs are the finest in the country though I recommend you start slowly given your current condition.”

“Maybe some toast,” Scarlett spoke, still unsure where she should look when she was speaking to the house itself, so instead she placed her hand against the wall as if to console Jarvis. “You said _days_ … How long have I been out of it exactly?” She’d never considered that she’d been unconscious for more than a few hours. Perhaps that’s why the wound on her side didn’t feel nearly as severe as it had felt when first inflicted. The wound on her leg, however, was still raging with pain as though it were fresh. Itching subconsciously at the bandage over the burn on her leg, Scarlett didn’t take her gaze away from Tony. Unfortunately he was rather _handsome_ even if she found him annoying, which explained how he’d gotten his sexual reputation.

Even in the plain looking clothes he obviously took good care of his body. His hair was carelessly pushed back and though it looked effortless it was obviously on purpose. Worst of all he had these piercing eyes that were an odd mixture of brown and green. It was easy to see how so many women could fall for his charms without knowing better.

Scarlett _knew_ she could use that reputation to her advantage. If he wanted to flirt with her then she’d let him flirt. It would only make things easier when she dropped the proverbial axe on his neck. If she could play her cards right then he would never see her vengeance coming.

“Did I say that? Well yes, it _is_ true. Three days to be exact. I tried to wake you a few times and you were non-responsive. If you didn’t wake up by the end of the week I was going assume you were comatose and bring you to the hospital.” Tony approached her slowly with his hands lazily held behind his back. He gave her the once over and didn’t make much of an effort to hide it. “You were pretty beaten up when I found you. Half dead is more accurate.” Holding out his hand for the woman, he offered an alluring smile that Scarlett was sure had made other women melt. Scarlett didn’t bother returning the smile and ignored his outstretched hand. She couldn’t bring herself to fawn over this man, even if it would’ve been an act. “I’m Tony Stark.”

“Right, like you _need_ to introduce yourself. Now you’re just being facetious,” Scarlett scoffed. Surprised, Tony but put his hand back down at his side. There was something about this strange woman that left him feeling unsettled. It could be the fact that she had been inside the MedCo building he’d spent weeks trying to locate and had also been trying to escape. 

What was more intriguing was that she had been pursued by the MedCo security staff as though she had been held prisoner. He could’ve brought her to the hospital to have her wounds treated or turned her over to the authorities in Africa but something in the back of his mind told him that he _needed_ to speak with her. Of the handful of people who had made it out of the chaos alive, she had been the only one trying to escape the building rather than defend it. 

And what was the old saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend?

He’d spent weeks digging through the files of a computer owned by his father’s ex-partner, Obadiah Stane. There had been a number of companies that had been making underhanded deals with him to buy weapons Tony had intended to sell _only_ to the US military via contract. It’d been a terrible blow to his ego and his father’s legacy to find out that less than savory characters around the world, mostly terrorist organizations and gangsters, had received the weapons he’d designed to protect people not harm them. One of the biggest companies he’d discovered that had received the weapons sold by Stane had been MedCo. Tony had one hell of a time tracking them down. Every time he’d thought he’d found something, they disappeared and would reappear months later somewhere else. By the time Tony caught up to them, they were gone like ghosts.

Something told him, that despite the destruction of the facility he’d located, there was still much more to this company than he’d yet discovered. When he’d gone to retrieve the computer records from what remained of the circuit boards beneath the building, he’d discovered that the hard drives had been erased. Some had even been removed from their containers or destroyed completely so the information on them would be unattainable to even the cleverest programmer. In order to keep pursuing the company Tony had every intention of manipulating this young woman who owed him quite a bit as far as he was concerned.

“Ah yes, I _am_ a man who needs no such introduction, aren’t I?” Tony smirked confidently. Scarlett cautiously got up from where she’d been seated on the table and Tony instantly urged her to sit back down, his hands on her shoulders. “I wouldn’t move too quickly if I were you. You took quite the beating.”

“I can handle myself, thank you very much. I know my limitations.”

“I should at least change your bandages before you move around. The chemical damage to your leg was severe. We’ve been changing it every few hours.” Tony touched the bandaging on her leg and Scarlett immediately grabbed his wrist to stop him from putting further pressure on the wound as it throbbed in objection. Pain was easy enough for her to ignore for the most part but _that_ pain was making her foot twitch.

“Why didn’t you bring me a hospital? Anyone in their right mind would see a burned woman and call the paramedics, but not _you_. Why am I here, Stark?” Scarlett spoke, suspicious of his intentions. Tony didn’t hide his surprise. He’d expected to be showered with gratitude for having saved this woman’s life but was met with disdain and suspicion. Now that she had asked about it he was sure it was confusing to wake up in some stranger’s laboratory in tattered clothing when she’d clearly needed medical assistance. Tony had several doctorates but not one of them was in medicine.

“Don’t worry so much. I had a doctor come by and make sure your wounds were properly treated.” Tony didn’t lose his stride. He was notorious for being clever and witty in the tensest of situations. “A pretty girl like you deserves better than treatment from some crummy civil employee.”

“Bullshit, what am I really doing here?” Scarlett didn’t let go of Tony’s wrist despite his tugging in annoyance.

“If I tell you, would you let me take care of the festering burn on your leg?” Tony didn’t pull his hand away but pointed toward the wound with his captured hand instead.

“Maybe.”

“I’m not going to tell you until I hear you say yes.” Tony pursed his lips. “Look, if you think that you holding onto my wrist is _really_ torture for me then you’re sorely mistaken. I can stay here _all_ day.”

“Fine, if you’re going to act like a child about it… _If_ you tell me then I will let you clean the wound but _only_ because these bandages itch like hell. Seriously, are they made of wool or something?” Scarlett let go of his wrist and pointed and annoyed finger at him in a scolding manner. “If you put one finger where it doesn’t belong I’ll break it. Got it? You need to be on your best behavior.”

“Oh, so my reputation really precedes me. You’re feisty.” Tony chuckled and started back toward his desk where he dug beneath it for a moment before pulling out a first aid kit. Scarlett took this moment to observe the reactor in his chest hidden beneath his t-shirts; the one that powered the Iron Man suits. While she wasn’t sure the rest of the world was aware that it was actually seated right inside of his chest, she could see that it had become a part of him.

Curiosity struck her and she nearly asked why the hell he had a reactor in his chest but instead she kept her distance. He’d want something in return for that information since this had turned into a bartering game and Scarlett had too many secrets that needed to remain hidden. If she was going to play this game with him she needed to keep her cards face down for as long as possible. She knew that the reactor in his chest was there because of a well publicized incident where he was held captive, but the details were hidden from the public.

“Of _course_ you do. Though from what I hear, you’re not very picky.” Scarlett sighed heavily as she began to unravel the bandages around her leg without his help.

“You know me pretty well it seems, but I don’t know anything about you. I tried searching through records of aspiring models in that area, quite taxing work I might add, and found not a single woman that looked anything like you. Granted, I was confused to find out how much prettier you were than any of the models I found despite how… wide the search became. So not-a-model what’s your name?” Scarlett shook her head as she listened to Tony’s poor attempt at flattery.

“I thought you were going to tell me how I ended up here?” Ignoring his question outright, Scarlett was determined to get answers. If she gave him her name he’d look her up and find out more about her. And while she was sure that eventually she would have to confess her full name, she figured there was no harm in making him work for it either.

“Only a face and no name? Come on, what am I supposed to call you if you don’t tell me?” Tony walked back to Scarlett and opened the first aid kit he’d retrieved, pulling out an unlabeled bottle of clear liquid. Looking at him skeptically, Scarlett continued to deny him an answer. Swatting her hand away from the bandage she was unraveling, Tony finished pulling it away from the wound, examining the sore and bloodied area on her leg where she’d been splashed with chemicals in the MedCo explosion.

“You touch nothing until you give me an explanation. That was the deal.” Scarlett threatened, though her leverage had disappeared. Her leg was quivering in miserable pain now that it was exposed.

“Yeesh, you’re stubborn. Did Pepper come down here before I did? She was just as mad that I was hiding some woman down here. Probably jealous... I mean look at you. Pepper’s pretty but… man.” Tony scoffed.

“She only woke up moments prior to your return, sir. Miss Potts hasn’t been downstairs since this morning,” Jarvis spoke overhead once again. Scarlett was partially glad the computer had interrupted, she was tired of the disgusting compliments.

“Thanks Jarvis, I was kidding but… thanks. You think he’d be able to tell when I’m being sarcastic by now. Anyway, when I found you in the desert one of those security goons had a gun pointed at you. I had every intention of bringing you to the hospital but I couldn’t help but notice that your leg was severely burned and getting rapidly worse. My guess was that the medical staff in the nearest hospital in South Africa would take at least twenty four hours to find out what you’d been splashed with. I knew I could get you here in a few hours using my suit and well… Let’s just say I’ve had my share of chemical burns in the past and could easily get my hands on something to neutralize it.” Scarlett seemed to consider this but could also feel how badly the wound was aching and the story seemed to contradict itself.

“If you neutralized the chemical then why the hell does it still hurt this badly?” Scarlett winced when Tony dabbed a wet cloth on the wound and instantly she moved away from the cloth to prevent further pain.

“Sit still,” Tony whined and scooted closer so he could wipe at the wound again. He’d been taking care of her for three days steadily. Even though he had known very little about her, he’d grown attached to her in his own weird way. Scarlett pouted and turned her gaze away so she didn’t have to look at what was being done to the wound. Feigning a reaction to the pain would make her endearing, in a way. “Unfortunately before I could get to the wound, the chemical seeped into your muscle so you’re going to experience discomfort until it’s out of your system entirely. Lucky for you I’ve got all the pills you’ll need.” Tony grabbed her left hand and urged it onto his shoulder. Scarlett looked surprised by this seemingly kind gesture. “Here, you can squeeze if you need to. I can tell it hurts.”

“No thanks,” Scarlett spoke after hesitating. Clearly this was some ploy to make him seem more charming. Tony Stark thought he was a ladies man, she knew that. If she used that to her advantage Scarlett could make him feel as used and pathetic as the women he regularly tossed away and get her proof of guilt all in the same breath. This would be killing two birds with one stone, essentially. That was if she could keep herself from actually _thinking_ he was charming. Having reminded herself of her purpose, the charm seemed more manipulative than anything else. 

He would regret inviting this woman into his home.

She placed her hand on the table and clenched her fist instead to combat the pain while Tony cleaned the wound there and applied the solution from the unlabeled bottle. Her muscles twitched in discomfort.

“That’s a shame. It’s been awhile since I’ve had claw marks on my back from something _other_ than a fight.” Tony was smiling without looking at her. He could feel the annoyance practically radiating off of her. If nothing else it certainly was fun to give her a hard time and have her continue to resist. Usually women melted into giggling messes around him so he enjoyed the chase. “In a few days you’ll be healed up and will be able to leave on your own accord, so don’t stress out too badly about it.” Grabbing the gauze from the first aid kit, he nodded to the table. “Could you put your leg up here?”  
Scarlett sighed dramatically and did as she was asked, waiting for more inappropriate jokes to follow suit. “Are you going to keep me confined to your table the entire time? Because I’m pretty sure this is tantamount to kidnapping.”

“Are you going to tell me your name?” Tony seemed to be bartering, even though he knew he couldn’t keep her captive.

“Probably not.”

“Well then you can stay in the lab. It’s a shame because this is a _really_ beautiful mansion and so few outsiders get a good peek in here. Outside of that one episode of Cribs, that is.” Tony smirked, wrapping the wound on her leg tightly. “You know, this is the first time…”

“You’ve been between a woman’s legs with all your clothes on? Come on Stark, you’re predictable.” Scarlett leaned heavily on her arm as Tony stopped wrapping her leg to stare awestruck.

“Oh, come on! That was clever.” Tony laughed, surprised that she’d known exactly what he was going to say. “I think you liked it… even if it was just a little.”

“Can you please just finish wrapping my leg without anymore innuendos? I get it, you’ve got a reputation to keep up with, but come on. You’ve proven your point. We can move on from that now I think. I promise, if anyone asks I’ll tell them that you came on strong, alright?” Cleaning the wound had drained most of the energy that Scarlett had regained while she’d been unconscious. She’d been in worse pain before, what made this so different? 

“Fine, but after I’m done wrapping your leg all bets are off.” Tony chuckled, then cleared his throat and put on his best serious face. “Could you at least tell me what it is you do? Since I can’t hit on you for a few minutes, small talk seems like the only alternative.”

“I’d have to kill you if I did,” Scarlett responded easily. Tony couldn’t tell if she was serious or if she was joking with him. Part of him was convinced that he’d bitten off more than he could chew with this woman. She’d seemed so innocent when he’d saved her in the desert. This wasn’t what he’d been envisioning would happen when she woke up. Though, he’d come up with this half baked scenario where she threw herself at him, eternally grateful for having saved her life. Then he wondered when it began that all of his rescue scenarios degraded into pornography. Probably because it was more interesting than reality. 

There was no one more easily bored than Tony Stark. 

“Can you tell me _anything_ about yourself without getting defensive? Or am I just going to have to make up my own stories about you. I can do that you know. I have a very active imagination.”

“I _could_ tell you.”

“ _Will_ you though?” Tony finished wrapping the wound, cleaned up the first aid kit and disposed of the filthy wrappings that had been pulled off of her leg. He was only mildly frustrated that this woman kept giving him the run around. More than anything, he was intrigued by her. There had never been a person in his life, short of Pepper, that had given him such a hard time. Even then Pepper was pretty easy to ignore and manipulate this far into their friendship. When it came down to it, Pepper worked for Tony and she ultimately had to do what he wanted her to do.

“Probably not.” Scarlett couldn’t help but be amused by how frustrated he’d become with her lack of cooperation. Tony exhaled and walked over to his desk to put away the first aid kit. Scarlett made another attempt to get off of the table, only to be met by the robot that had dragged her back to the table in the first place.

“Dum-E, lay off.” Tony waved his hand toward the robot that made a sad sound with his hydraulics before rolling away from Scarlett. Walking over to the work table across the room where Scarlett had noticed the scrap metal earlier, Tony looked at the holographic schematics that had been pulled up by Jarvis nearby. Scarlett slowly limped over to where Tony was working but kept her distance, mostly to observe the schematics and not the way he worked, though she was admittedly curious. Tony wasn’t some puffed up billionaire with zero skills; he was a genius.

It appeared he was building a power amplifier. The arc reactor was already an immense source of power. With the addition of the element that Tony’s father had been credited with discovering and that Tony had been credited with creating, it had become a force unmatched. Why would he be looking to amplify something so immense? She doubted it was for unsavory means, since he wouldn’t be doing it in front of her if that were the case. It’d be too great a risk to his reputation.

“What are you building?” Scarlett couldn’t help but ask. While she knew it was an amplifier, she wanted details.

“What’s your name?” Tony asked without looking back at her. He turned the schematic around in the air and spoke to his system, flicking at part of the hologram. “Get rid of sector 4B, it’s not working out.” Obviously frustrated by what was in front of him, Scarlett wondered if she could help. Perhaps if she could prove useful to Tony, he’d keep her around to work on whatever project this was. At least until she could find the opportunity to strike and take him down.

“I already told you that my name is off limits.” Scarlett walked closer and took in the schematics. Tony observed the woman curiously and much to his surprise saw recognition in her eyes.

“You know what this is?” Tony touched the edges of the hologram and spread his arms so the schematic extended large enough for Scarlett to see it without having to peer over his shoulder. Not that he would’ve objected to that, but he was sure she didn’t want any more reasons to be that close to him.

“It’s a power amplifier for the arc reactor,” Scarlett spoke as though it were obvious. Tony turned to face her and looked at her with one eyebrow raised high.

“Smart, huh? Are you one of those high tech Japanese cyborgs or something? I knew they were doing well in that area of robotics but you are absolutely remarkable. I still stand by the fact that you’re some spy undercover as a beautiful model or something… Almost like a Bond girl.” Tony’s lips curled into a smile. What had started out as a comment on her intelligence had ended in some ridiculous fantasy. Scarlett rolled her eyes. He’d almost been likable. 

Almost.

“I’ve dabbled in engineering and physics. Happy now? I’d prefer to be called a jack of all trades. I’ve spent enough years trying just about everything that I can adapt to my situation. You learned something about me, so stop trying to flatter me. It’s gross.” Scarlett folded her arms over her chest and ignored Tony’s gaze which seemed now to be of admiration more than desire.

“An engineer? Sorry lady but engineers do _not_ look like you. Engineers look like… little… geeky guys who ate too many Cheetos…”

“ _You’re_ an engineer.”

“Okay, so you’ve got me there. I am a knock out, a ten actually.”

Looking over the schematics Scarlett shook her head and changed the subject. “Why are you building an amplifier for something that’s already so… massive?”

“Massive? I like that. Keep sweet talking me.” Tony tapped his knuckle against the glowing reactor in his chest and sighed. “You told me something about you, you do realize that right? And you haven’t tried to kill me yet.”

“I think I said that already. But yes, I understood your little hologram here so I figured you’d deduce that I had some kind of mechanical or electrical background anyway. Just so you know, it won’t lead you to any monumental discoveries about who I am. Good luck.”

“You are worlds smarter than you’re letting me believe,” Tony said outright. “I’ve already figured that out. Don’t think I’m underestimating you. I know what was going on in that building, at least to an extent. If they were holding you captive then you must be an incredibly important person. They aren’t the type of corporation that makes a business of kidnapping beautiful women just for the hell of it. That’s more thug territory. These guys were calculative.”

“What makes you think they were holding me captive? Maybe I worked there.” Scarlett shrugged, unwilling to reveal anything further. At first Tony didn’t respond and when he did, Scarlett froze.

“You have a contract to fulfill,” Tony whispered to her knowingly, his eyes dancing with amusement. He’d managed to decipher that much of what had been said to her, but couldn’t hear what had followed, which had likely been her name. Because of the gunfire that had followed it had been drowned out. Scarlett didn’t respond and realized that he’d known plenty more about her than he had initially let on. 

They were dancing. 

Tony was trying to get information from her, while she did the same in turn. Scarlett couldn’t figure out which one of them had taken the lead quite yet. This didn’t change anything. He was still prying for her name which meant what he knew was speculation at best.

When Scarlett didn’t respond, Tony gave her some time to mull over what he’d said. He decided there was little to no reason why he couldn’t answer her earlier question.

“I’ve been dabbling in energy research for a few years now. Ever since Stark Industries stopped mass manufacturing weapons which I’m sure you already know about. Are you sure you aren’t one of those girls with a Tony Stark fixation? You seem to know an awful lot about me for someone who is treating me with such disdain.”

“You just assume that all women must be blown away by your mere existence, don’t you? I just told you that I’m an engineer and in the engineering world, whether I like it or not, you are _king_. What you _don’t_ realize is there are a dozen engineers far more brilliant than you who don’t feel the need to be a constant public spectacle. I know your work because it is part of my job to know exactly what is going on in the world of engineering and mechanics.”

“That’s not true, I know there are plenty of people with intelligence equal to mine buried throughout the world without the financial means to make themselves known. That’s why I started the Stark Expo back up last year. We provide funding to those with credentials and good ideas then invite them to come and present their inventions to a crowd they would, under no other circumstances, have access to.” Tony seemed to want to make it clear to this woman that Stark Industries was no longer the money hungry empire it had once been.

“Yeah, that really ended well for everyone, didn’t it?” Scarlett scoffed. “You were saying something before you started hoping I was secretly one of your little fan girls… so are you going to continue or am I going to have to guess what it was?”

“I’ll get you to like me, you know.”

“Keep dreaming, Stark.”

“Can do and actually am… and have been, so you’re a little late with the suggestion.” Turning back to his schematic he gestured toward the scrap on the table in front of him. “I’ve been working on a way to transition the power from the arc reactor, which is immense as you mentioned, to household energy. So far, everything I’ve done in an attempt to use this element for anything other than the reactor in my chest and others similar to it, has shorted out or blown up. I thought at first that it needed to be amplified but after I’ve tried several prototypes I’m thinking I need to take a different approach.”

“Ya think?” Scarlett stood next to him at the table and put her hands on either side of the schematic, flipping it around. Tony looked scandalized that Jarvis allowed her to move his holograph and pouted.

“Jarvis!”

“Sir, would you prefer I did not allow her to control me?”

“Yeah, no touching. That’s mine. You haven’t even told me your name and you already expect to play with my holograms? Sorry, but I think that’s more of a _third_ date thing.” Tony pulled the schematic away from her reach, though it had already stopped responding to Scarlett’s touch.

“My apologies, sir.”

“It’s fine Jarvis, she’s really pretty. I understand you wanting her to like you.” Scarlett rolled her eyes and spoke, choosing to ignore Tony’s antics.

“You need a power converter, Stark. Not an amplifier. The element you’re using is unlike anything else in existence. If you want to use this power on a massive scale you need something to tone down the power not boost it up. When you amplify a sound that’s already loud and too harsh on the ears you’re only going to get something louder and more obnoxious. I’d think of all people you’d realize that. Or maybe that’s part of your problem. Bigger and better, right?”

“I don’t have a problem. What makes you think I have a problem? You know for a stranger in my house who hasn’t even told me her _name_ you sure are making an unfair amount of assumptions.” Scarlett ignored Tony’s objections and spoke over him instead of giving him the chance to distract her from the point she was making. She wondered how he ever got anything done and guessed this was why he worked alone.

“If you build a converter that will drain the power from the arc reactor equipped with the new element you can send it through different cycles in order to dampen the power to a more reasonable level in order for it to be used more efficiently. Not to mention it would be more costly to convert every electronic device in the country to become compatible with a new kind of current. You’re better off converting the new element to something more commonly used. You’re all about accessibility for everyone, right? This way the burden falls on you, not the rest of the world.” Scarlett rolled her eyes as though the answer was obvious.

Silent for the first time since they’d met, Tony folded an arm over his chest and propped his elbow against it. He placed the other hand on his face and rubbed his hand over his immaculately manicured goatee. His shaggy hair had the appearance of someone who had just gotten out of bed and his brown eyes were akin to honey while they focused on the schematic in front of him. Rubbing his fingers against the finely trimmed scruff, he covered his mouth before unfolding his arms and pushing his hair back. Then he flipped the schematic around. Without another word he made changes.

Scarlett watched him work and admitted internally that it was fascinating to see his methods. Plus, seeing him quiet since the first time he’d walked into the room was rather nice. This gave Scarlett time to observe more about the man behind the legend. His fingers looked rough and callused, like he did a lot of work by hand. She wondered if it was from battles as his new super hero persona, Iron Man, or if it was from doing work in his lab or on the exquisite cars he had stationed behind his desk.

After a few moments, Scarlett realized Tony had pretty much forgotten she existed while he worked and realized exactly what he was doing with his project. He was mumbling about how to change the current, building up a model over the old amplifier after having removed many of the crucial elements, via hologram.

“No, no, come on, aren’t you supposed to be a genius or something?” Scarlett nudged Tony’s shoulder and urged him out of the way. She touched the schematic he’d been building up and when it didn’t respond she gave Tony a look that clearly told him how frustrating it was that he wasn’t letting her help. He stared for a moment defiantly before deflating and nodding toward the schematic.

“Go ahead, Jarvis, let her touch.” A smirk played on Tony’s lips and he held his hand in front of hers to block her from touching the schematic as his artificially intelligent computer system complied. “You owe me dinner if I let you do this.”

“If anything, I’d say you owe me dinner.” Scarlett pulled the schematic beneath his arm that was blocking her and turned to face away from him, limping on her pained leg.

“Well that’s what I meant, actually. I said you owe me dinner, not that you are going to pay for my dinner.”

“Stark, focus.” Scarlett waved her hand at him in annoyance then started to make adjustments to the schematics in front of her. It was harder to adjust to the holographic computer system than she had expected. “I need a coil…” Scarlett looked at the schematic and rearranged the items that Tony had put together.

Watching over her shoulder, Tony was far more curious about her skills than he let on. What had this woman been building for MedCo? Why was she helping him out now when she held some kind of deep seated hatred for him? Though, if she was a successful engineer he knew how it could affect her opinion of him. He had found over the years that they seemed to go either way, engineers and scientists. Either they admired him and his work or they resented him for the way he abused his popularity. Tony didn’t think of it as abusing his popularity at all. If people were going to invest so much time into watching him and cataloguing his actions then he should at least have some fun and make it interesting.

Really, he figured even without the popularity and publicity he’d be the same way. Paying more attention to the woman in front of him, he reached around her to pull the converter closer to him. Scarlett immediately shoved his arms away from her sides and narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

“I don’t have cooties. I washed my hands before I came in here, I swear.” Tony ignored her objections and looked at the schematic again. “Alright. Now just fabrication.”

“I can’t guarantee that it’s going to work, Stark. I have never dealt with the power that’s in your arc reactor before. You shut your mouth right now before you crack some dirty joke because you are _not_ clever.” Scarlett didn’t bother looking away from the schematic, despite the fact that Tony had indeed been opening his mouth to crack another joke.

Smiling a bit at the excitement this new woman was bringing to his laboratory, Tony shoved his hands in his pockets and spoke to his computer as he walked back to his desk. He snapped his fingers, removing his hand from his pockets as quickly as he had shoved them in there. His snapping had brought the computer screens to life, along with a whole different set of holographic controls surrounding the circular desk. 

Scarlett leaned against the table, closed her eyes and swallowed the discomfort and pain she felt in her leg. Looking down at her tattered jeans, she realized just how drastic the damage to her clothing had been. It wasn’t like she was walking around half naked, but it definitely looked like she had just walked out of an explosion. Not to mention, it’d been ages since she’d had a proper shower, food, or any sort of normalcy to her life. Where was that toast she’d requested anyway?

She didn’t have time to dwell on the past. Touching the tattered denim of her jeans she grimaced. She only became aware of Tony’s staring after he’d been doing so for several minutes.

“What?”

“You look like you’re thinking about something important. Maybe what happened in the desert? You want to spill your guts yet?”

“I was just thinking about how ridiculous I look in these clothes.” Scarlett shrugged her shoulders, but the bite to her words had temporarily dissipated. Tony typed away on his computer and started placing orders for the titanium alloy he’d need to construct the power converter to contain the arc reactor. Soon enough he’d be able to build and test Scarlett’s idea and see what changes he’d need to make.

“Yeah, you look like you’ve had a really tough time…,” Tony drifted off, half expecting her to fill in the blank of her name.

“Cut it out.” Scarlett rolled her eyes and walked over to the computer desk, leaning over it to look at his computer screen. To her surprise, he didn’t try to turn off the screen or become possessive the way he’d done with Jarvis’ schematics. “You know, I’ve never been hands on with any of these things before so I could very well be wrong with some of my calculations. I mean, the math is right, but I don’t know what kind of power I’m dealing with other than that it must be pretty considerable to power those suits over there.”

“Yeah I’m considerably powerful and would be happy to show you just _how_ powerful if you’d tell me your name. Now, you had wanted to get changed? Jarvis, Jarvis get me Pepper. Send her down here right away.” Once again, Tony didn’t bother looking anywhere but at Scarlett. He tugged the side of her shirt up to glance at the wound there. Scarlett grabbed his wrist and twisted it back very suddenly, almost instinctively.

“Ow, ouch, hey… _hey_ now…” Tony grabbed her wrist with his other hand and twisted his arm free from her grip. “You have pretty adept reflexes for an engineer.”

“Yeah, because you’re the only engineer who knows how to protect themselves.” Scarlett stepped away from him and leaned against the table once again.

“I think whatever you were up to with that company down there is way more important than you’re letting on. I think that you have a lot of secrets that you’re worried I’ll find out about, miss no name.”

“Oh, I’m not worried. You can’t think about me for more than twenty seconds without being stopped by your libido, so good luck Stark.” Scarlett smiled half heartedly.

“You know, you could be a little grateful to me for saving your life.”

“Saving my life? Hmm? You think that you’re the reason I got out of there?”

“You were a bloodied mess in the desert sands. I saved you, out of the kindness of my heart I might add.”

“Right, your reactor you mean? You can fool the public with that chest piece but I know what’s going on in there. I don’t know the whole story, but what you’ve got in there, Stark? That’s not a heart.” Scarlett’s lip curled in aggravation. She didn’t mean it, even in all her anger, she didn’t mean the harsh things she’d said. Whatever had caused Tony to need an arc reactor within his chest had to be terrible.

“I could bring you to the hospital still. Or to the police. You know whatever you were doing out there I’m sure it was highly illegal.”

“In Africa. Even if it _was_ illegal it was in Africa and the United States has very little jurisdiction in those parts of the world even if you could find proper legal proof, Stark, which you can’t. You know what’s illegal? Holding a woman prisoner in your basement and trying to keep her confined to a table when she’s been seriously injured.”

“I was helping you, not keeping you prisoner. I was hoping you’d be grateful I saved you and would help me figure out what happened to you!”

“Well, that’s what you get for making assumptions, you ass.”

“I know what the little poem for that is, but, no… I think your wounds are making you a little testy, whatever your name is. Maybe you should lie down and consider where you are. Do you know how many people get to see what you’ve seen down here?”

“Oh, so I should feel privileged to be here, is that it? You’re just mad that I’m not drooling all over myself to be in your presence. Sorry, Stark but you’d be surprised just how many women _don’t_ think you’re God’s gift to them.”

“My name is Tony, why do you keep calling me that?”

“I’m not some school girl in the presence of her biggest idol and I am not quivering because you gave me a compliment so get over it and act like a big boy.” Scarlett ignored his petty question. Why did it matter that she wasn’t calling him Tony? For some reason, calling him Tony seemed like letting him win.

“Usually having my ego thrown in my face is a huge turn off, but I have to tell you I’m a little turned on right now.” Tony didn’t seem to be taking anything she said seriously. Scarlett threw her hands up in aggravation but before she could continue on she realized that the glass door on the other side of the room that led to a staircase, and presumably the rest of Tony’s Malibu mansion, had been opened.

The familiar Pepper Potts, dressed in a professional but beautifully feminine suit that hugged her tall frame stepped inside. Her red hair was pulled out of her face into a loose bun and adorable freckles were scattered about her skin.

“You called, Tony?” Pepper glanced curiously over at the woman who had been fighting with Tony about practically nothing at all. She’d heard the argument across the room and had decided not to interrupt until she’d been noticed. Amusement flickered behind her eyes.

“Oh, don’t look so happy.” Tony turned to face his assistant and then back toward Scarlett. “She has just been waiting for the day that some woman would tell me off. Well, look how many years it took Pepper. Plus, I’m convinced she likes me. _Secretly._ ”

“Really? From what I’ve heard, I think she’s made it pretty clear just what she thinks of you, Tony. You do realize she could sue you for what you’re doing, right? Actually, she could probably press criminal charges.”

“Oh she wouldn’t. Why do you always think women are going to sue me? Have you seen me? I’m pretty fantastic,” Tony scoffed and walked back to his desk, refusing to be tag teamed by the two lovely women, at least in this particular way. He gladly let his mind linger on that mental image with a smile.

“What is it you called me down here for, Tony? Jarvis said it was important.”

Tony opened his mouth to respond but Scarlett limped past him and spoke over him.

“I’m half naked and uncomfortable. I needed something else to wear, preferably something clean.” Scarlett looked hopeful. “I’m guessing that is the reason he called you down here. I would hate to be an inconvenience to _you_. I have no qualms with you.”

“Well, I was about to say that, before you interrupted. You’re lucky I like a woman that takes charge.” Tony pointed an accusing finger at her then spun in his chair and turned to address his assistant again. “You’ve still got some extra clothes here just in case for last minute appointments and business dinners, right? Could you get her something comfortable to wear? You’re similar height… though she’s… well she’s got these hips and well… this hourglass thing going on…”

“Tony, you’re drooling.” Pepper rolled her eyes and turned back to Scarlett. Talking to her boss would only mean more sexual innuendos about the woman who was worse for wear and in need of some comfort. “I think I have a black dress you can wear. It’ll at least get you out of those nasty clothes. If you give me your measurements I can have Jarvis send out for some clothing for you. I can have him deliver some catalogues to you so you can choose what you would like,” Pepper offered.

“Hey, that’s my money you’re spending. You know I’ll have to approve each purchase.”

“I have my own money. I can give you some of that when I get the chance. There is no chance in hell that I’m going to let Stark make clothing decisions for me.”

“She’s my assistant, I tell her what to do, not you.” Pepper threw Tony a look that shut him up, but only after he’d realized what he’d said and how it annoyed her. “Look, get her that dress and we’ll figure it out from there.”

“You should probably let her shower and get cleaned up too Tony. It’s inhumane to keep someone like this after what she’s been through.” Pepper glared at Tony disapprovingly before addressing Scarlett. “I’ll go get you that dress and I’ll work on Tony letting you use the guest room shower.”

“Thank you, Miss Potts.”

“You can call me Pepper.” The redhead smiled before walking out of the room, fiddling with something on her phone. It was something that Tony must have built for her since it was like nothing Scarlett had ever seen before in her life.

“You know, I’m not mad.”

“What?”

“You said before that I was just mad because you were turning me down. I’m not mad. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I’ve had this much fun in years.” Before Scarlett could respond with something witty, Pepper had returned, holding a bundle of black cloth that Scarlett could only assume was the dress she’d promised.

“Here you are, and don’t worry about paying me back. It’s really something I only wear in emergencies and I was looking for an excuse to buy a new little black dress anyway.” Pepper smiled cordially, incredibly happy to have a woman in the house who wasn’t nervous to stand up to the great Tony Stark or fall prey to his charms.

“Thank you so much, Pepper.” Scarlett smiled then turned toward Tony. “Now unless you’re going to let me go upstairs and change, I suggest that you leave so I can do so in peace. I’ve already had enough jokes about my sexuality to last me a lifetime. Besides if you make a crack about insisting to have to change my clothes too then I’m going to break your hand.” Tony narrowed his eyes at Pepper when she laughed and bit her lip to stifle it. 

“I _could_ help you since you brought it up. I’ve been told I’m good with my hands.” Tony looked down at them and then made a face as he considered her proposal. “Though, a broken hand seems counterproductive. But, you don’t know what you’re missing.” Tony got out of his chair and started toward his door to leave the girls in peace.

“Don’t be a voyeur either. I know what your little system here is capable of and even though there are no cameras visible to the naked eye, I’m sure they’re here.”

“She’s right, Tony. You should have Jarvis lock you out of the cameras, just for now.” Pepper agreed, trying to help her boss avoid a sexual harassment lawsuit or a broken bone.

“Jeez, you two are no fun at all. These women taking over my house, I always thought if this happened I’d be happy…” Tony continued to complain as he headed out of the room and up the stairs.

“He’s always like that?”

“Yeah, even in his worst moments,” Pepper smiled kindly. “You get used to it. He’s a pretty good guy, he just can’t help himself.”

“I thought it was an act for the cameras to tell you the truth.” Scarlett grimaced, lifting her tank top so she could look at the gauze on her side and evaluate how hard it was going to be to get changed.

“Nope, that’s just Tony. But you have to see past that to get to the real guy. Just… don’t break his hand. Please?”

“Don’t worry, it’s an empty threat.” Scarlett smiled, though she had much worse for the man who had done such wrong to her and the only person she could consider family. Even if he had only been a boyfriend by obligation, it didn’t mean Scarlett didn’t have feelings for Scott; they were just mostly of guilt and now revenge.

“Are you alright? I could help you if you need it. Despite Tony being a jerk about it, you probably do need some help getting changed. You look world’s better than when he brought you here though, I will say that.” Pepper offered kindly. This was, remarkably, the first woman that she hadn’t had to throw out of the house after Tony had their way with them like a used tissue.

“Thanks Pepper, but I’ve got this.” Scarlett smiled a little, trying to keep pleasant with the woman there. She had no problems with Pepper Potts, just Tony Stark, so there was no reason to be rude to her.

“What’s your name by the way?” Pepper chuckled, but it wasn’t in the prying way that Tony had asked. Scarlett knew that if she told the woman her full name then Tony would find out as well. It wouldn’t change much of anything. The only reason she hadn’t told Tony her name was because she’d wanted to give him a hard time.

“Scarlett Damien.” Scarlett held her hand out for Pepper to shake, which she shook firmly.

“You seem to know me already, but it’s nice to meet you Scarlett Damien. I’m Pepper Potts. And what Tony said was true. I’ve been waiting for a woman to tell him just what an ass he can be for years,” Pepper laughed. “Don’t be too hard on him. I swear he really is a good guy beneath all that.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be just hard enough.” Scarlett shrugged. The web of lies in her mind had already become incredibly intricate.

“I’ll leave you be then. I’m going to see if Tony will let me prepare the guest room for you to use. You can’t sleep down here! Besides, I doubt he’ll want you down here with all of his cars and suits once he really thinks about it.” Pepper laughed, heading toward the door.

“Maybe he wants to keep me on display too, hmm? A trophy for doing a supposed good deed, right?” Scarlett chuckled.

“He would.” Pepper shook her head. “I’ll leave you in privacy to change.”

“Thank you.” Scarlett turned her back on the woman and began the tedious process of removing the clothing that had practically stuck to her during the various explosions and dangerous situations she’d been trapped in. There were stones sinking in the pit of her stomach, guilt, fear, nerves, and a thousand other emotions she was unsure of. 

She thought Tony Stark had been the reason that Scott had been murdered, but had he really been? Wasn’t it _her_ fault that he’d been dragged into the process to begin with? With these things swimming around in her head, Scarlett changed into the clean black dress. While it wasn’t exactly what she’d have chosen to wear on her own, it was better than tattered jeans and a bloodied tank top.

Pepper walked up the stairs to find Tony standing at the top of them, tapping his foot impatiently and staring at the screen of his phone. Curious as to what he was doing, but knowing Tony wouldn’t let her get a glance of it that easily, Pepper eased into conversation.

“You do realize you can’t keep her prisoner down there, right?”

“She’s too dangerous to keep down there.”

“What were you thinking, Tony? Why didn’t you just drop her off at the hospital and tell them how to take care of her?” Pepper furrowed her brow in thought. While she was growing rather fond of the woman, it was hard to keep strangers in the house, particularly with the super hero persona that Tony had taken on ever since his return from captivity. There was no way to know what Scarlett’s motives were and she seemed to be incredibly sure of her ability to keep Tony at bay, even if it came to using force. While Pepper had found that amusing at first, now it worried her that the woman had some experience using such force on others.

“I went to Africa searching for another one of the companies that Obadiah had been working with… It’s one of the only companies that I haven’t been able to track down. I haven’t been able to discover where all those weapon shipments went or what they were used for. I finally found one of their facilities and when I went down there they instantly went on the offensive. They were _waiting_ for me, Pepper.”

“What does this woman have to do with that?”

“She’s one of the only people I found alive in the wreckage. I think they were holding her prisoner there to build something. Now that I’m not supplying them with my weapons, where do you think they’re going to get their arsenal from? Steady shipments for God… how many years was Obadiah doing this behind my back? Behind dad’s? And now they have nothing.” Tony leaned against the wall near the stairway, tapping at the screen and zooming in on something.

“So you think that she was building weapons for them?” Pepper seemed instantly alarmed and glanced downstairs, wondering if Scarlett could hear their conversation.

“Against her will. When I found her, there was a guard from the company holding a gun pointed at her and threatening her to complete a contract of some kind. Not to mention there was a series of explosions that I had not been the source of when things got gritty down there.”

“You think _she_ was the source of those explosions?”

“I can’t know without learning more about her. And I can’t know more about her if she’s in some hospital.”

“So you’re going to just keep her trapped down there until she gives you some information? And what if she never does? You can’t keep her there forever, particularly if she’s as dangerous as you seem to think she is.”

“I think she’s mad enough at this company to tell me something useful. If I can track them down them I can find my weapons and get rid of them. Not to mention bring these people to some kind of justice.” Tony scowled. It wasn’t often that Tony was completely serious, and even then he was usually still joking just a little bit or doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. Pepper didn’t like it when Tony was serious.

“And what if you’re wrong about her, Tony?”

“I’m Iron Man. What do you think she’s going to do to me, huh?”

“Well, at the very least you can’t keep her prisoner in the lab. Let me fix up the guest room for her, please? So she can be taken care of. A little kindness can sometimes go a long way, Tony.”

“I know Pepper. Just… go ahead, do it. I don’t care. Set it up, I’ll let her stay, but make sure that Jarvis has the parameters set and doesn’t let her in any rooms other than the bathroom, her room and wherever I lead her. She… She told you her name, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, Scarlett Damien. Didn’t she tell you?”

“Good,” Tony chuckled. “She was so stubborn about it, she wouldn’t tell me no matter how many times I asked.”

“Maybe she has something to hide.”

“Oh, she has much more to hide than you and I could ever possibly guess. This woman has plenty… of unraveling to do. And I mean that in as many ways as you can imagine.”

“Tony, don’t get in over your head.” Pepper had grown used to ignoring sexual innuendos.

“Pepper, I’m always in over my head. It’s what I do.” Tony smirked and then turned the screen of his phone to her. “What do you think? Is that… Victoria’s Secret… page twenty three of the spring catalogue? Hmm…” Tony showed the video feed from his lab of Scarlett getting changed downstairs. 

“Tony! You can’t do that to her!” Pepper reached for his phone but he swung it out of her reach before she could.

“Smart girl though, didn’t get completely naked at least. She knew I was going to watch her, relax,” Tony chuckled. Pepper knew he’d been too serious for his own good when really he’d just been concentrating on the video feed on his phone.

“You do realize that kidnapping is illegal right, Tony? You can’t just keep her a prisoner here! Particularly if you’re going to spy on her because that’s illegal too.”

“I know that Pepper, thanks for the reminder. God you sound like my lawyer sometimes.”

“I could get your lawyer to remind you if you like.”

“That won’t be necessary. She’s going to do some work for me.” Pepper watched her boss contemplate something far more complicated than he was actually going to share with her and then heaved a sigh and gave up.

“I’ll go set up the guest room.”

“Thanks, and order her those extra clothes. I want her to feel like she’s not actually being kidnapped.”

“How very generous of you.” Pepper rolled her eyes as she walked away, pulling her own phone back out of her jacket pocket, making notes and preparations.

Tony glanced down at the video feed on his phone once again, watching the lovely woman getting dressed into the slimming black gown that Pepper had loaned her. This woman had ice cold blue eyes and he was going to break through the wall he saw behind them and find out what she was hiding.

“Jarvis, hold off on the toast. I have plans.”

“Sir, that’s a bad idea.”

“When has that stopped me?”

“My apologies.” Jarvis complied.


	5. Should I Stay or Should I Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What secrets are hidden beneath Scarlett's icy exterior? Tony wants to know, no he needs to know. Without realizing it, Tony showed Scarlett that perhaps what she knew as fact is not necessarily true. Before she can dwell too hard on the fact that perhaps Tony isn't the monster she was led to believe he was, he offers her a job and she flies off the handle. Working for a billionaire she can't stand and a company she despises has understandably rubbed her the wrong way. Will Scarlett choose to stay and follow through with her investigation? Or will she run?

Despite Pepper’s disgust, Tony didn’t turn away from the feed on his phone. What was Scarlett’s story? Why had she told Pepper her name but not him? She’d made it very clear that she was nowhere near his biggest fan but why? Was it all an act? Maybe she was suffering from post traumatic stress after what happened to her in the MedCo building. Could her way of dealing with it be to take out her rage on Tony? If that were the case Tony was sure he could offer her some ideas for stress relief that didn’t involve bashing his ego so much. In fact, they would do _quite_ the opposite.

Deciding he’d given her ample time to get changed and cleaned up, Tony put his phone away and started down the stairs to his lab. The door opened automatically for him, no identification required.

“You know _Scarlett_ ,” Tony began as he observed Scarlett in the slimming black dress that had been borrowed from Pepper. It was a drastic improvement from the tattered jeans and scalded tank top. “You really _could_ be a model. If you’d like I could contact some people in the business. Help you break into the industry.” Scarlett turned and cocked an eyebrow in annoyance, resting her hand on her hip. Before she could object, Tony held up his hand to stop her. “Don’t thank me. That’s just the kind of guy I am.” Smirk on his face with his head held high he seemed to brag that he’d discovered her name.

“Oh get that smug look off your face, Stark.” Scarlett could feel the air of superiority hanging over him as he’d walked into the room. It was _annoying._ He was far more calculated than he alluded to. She was a little disappointed that he hadn’t discovered her ploy. “I introduced myself to Pepper knowing that she’d pass along the information. If I didn’t _want_ you to know my name then you wouldn’t.”

“So you wanted me to know then, hmm? Scarlett’s a sexy name… like the color… you know, of lust, right? I’m pretty familiar with that.” Tony sauntered over slowly, giving her the once over for more reasons than just the obvious.

“I weighed my options and didn’t see the point of anonymity.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier then?”

“Honestly, you wanted it so badly I couldn’t help but resist.” Scarlett brushed his arrogance off. Tony decided he was done playing games with this woman, at least for the time being.

“What _were_ you doing in Africa, Scarlett? Now, that’s something I _know_ you don’t want to tell me. And don’t bother saying you’re holding out just to grind on my nerves. I’m sure it’s fun and all but you were up to something out there. Something you don’t want _me_ to know. You may not know this about me but I’m not exactly the picture of patience.”

“No, really? Wow! You’re impatient? Come on, Stark. The whole world knows that.”

“You do _know_ that my name is Tony, right?” Tony pursed his lips in thought. “I did tell you that, didn’t I? Oh that’s right. _I did_. Then you promptly shoved it in my face just how amazingly powerful and famous I am… Told me I didn’t need an introduction.”

“Is that really how you choose to spin this?”

“Are _you_ going to call me Tony? They call me Stark at business meetings. Hell, even the paparazzi call me Tony. Stark seems so… _cold_.”

“Who cares what I call you? I thought you wanted to know what I was doing in Africa!” Scarlett had become weary when left alone. Whatever medicine she’d been given was upsetting her stomach. On top of that gravity didn’t agree with her wounds. All Scarlett _really_ wanted was to take a nice hot shower and eat a big juicy steak… or some crackers. Instead she would have to ward off Tony Stark’s sass and his half-assed advances. 

“That _is_ what I want but you’ve made it pretty clear you’re too scared to talk about it.”

“I’m not _afraid_ to talk about anything. It’s not your business, is all. Trust me. That little thing in the desert was far from the worst thing I’ve dealt with, Stark.”

“Tony.”

“I appreciate that you pulled me out of the sands of Africa and took care of my wounds.” Scarlett began on what promised to be a good speech but Tony interrupted. She wondered if he _ever_ stopped talking. No one loved the sound of their own voice that much, right?

“Really? You appreciate it? Because you have been _so unbelievably_ grateful so far.”

“Is this not pleasant enough for you, Stark? I could be far less pleasant.” Scarlett curled her lip in annoyance. Maybe she couldn’t keep up this façade after all. Revenge might not be worth pretending to like Tony Stark. Tony deserved punishment for his wrongdoings but why did she have to wait? She could break his pretty nose right now instead. It was incredibly tempting but Scarlett knew it wasn’t punishment enough.

“Oh, is that so? Now that I think about it, I bet you could be _quite_ the naughty girl.”

“Touch me and I’ll be the first girl to break your arm.”

“You keep threatening me but not taking action. I’m thinking you’re all talk. You know, I think all this… this resentment you have built up toward me could be best put toward something more constructive.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“Actually… No, okay so that’s mostly true.” Tony didn’t smirk nor did he look amused. While they were bickering about stupid things he very much wanted to know what had happened in Africa. Tony very much didn’t like being completely serious about anything. It bored him.

“It’s killing you, isn’t it?”

“What’s killing me? You’re being really vague and my mind tends to wander…”

“You have _no_ idea what happened in Africa and it’s driving you crazy.” Scarlett stepped toward him, chin held high. Tony was taller than her by a few inches but she somehow found a way to look down at him. “All this hitting on me and the bad jokes… that’s all just how you cope with what’s beyond your control.”

“It’s not killing me but I don’t like it very much.” Tony didn’t back down even if Scarlett seemed suddenly intimidating. “What happened down there that made you so ashamed you can’t talk about it?”

“Oh, ashamed? Really? Because I won’t spill my guts to you, Stark, I must be ashamed. I’m just some more helpless woman who can’t deal with the trauma!”

“ _Tony_.” He would correct her until she got it right. Why would she keep doing it? Was she really that nervous to get to know him? He wasn’t such a bad guy, deep down. Though he was admittedly a little biased in his opinion of himself.

“You play dumb surprisingly well,” Scarlett began, challenging him with her eyes. She kept insulting him partially wondering how long it would take to break his calm exterior. What was his threshold for pain? “I wonder, is it all an act? Or are you really just that thick headed?”

“Oh, I’m thick alright.”

“You’re a pig.”

“Probably.”

“Look, if you’re that bothered that a complete stranger isn’t sharing private information that’s your problem. If I’m not worthy of any form of trust to even be in this grand mansion of yours then I am more than happy to leave.” Scarlett had grown weary of dancing with Tony. There had to be a better way than sleeping in the lion’s den. One that didn’t involve being nice to someone so reprehensible and disgusting. Then again, she hadn’t tried very hard to be that nice anyway. Why _couldn’t_ she? Scarlett had always been an excellent actress. Was there any chance she enjoyed arguing with him? No. There was no chance that she was enjoying their little back and forth.

Or maybe she was. Just a little.

Tony stepped closer, considering her offer. Scarlett had been nothing but awful to him since she’d woken up. Realistically she had no reason to be nice to him either. He _had_ taken her captive and his reputation, toward women in particular, was less than sparkling. Maybe with time he could get her to warm up to him. Or he’d push her too far and she really _would_ hurt him. Tony hated that he had to argue with this woman he barely knew about every word out of his mouth. However, she wasn’t boring. 

Scarlett was _far_ from boring.

Most women, even the ones who didn’t like him, gave into his charm relatively quickly. It had taken him an hour to learn Scarlett’s name and only because she’d told Pepper. An hour was a long time for Tony to wait for _anything_. Yet he’d waited, not patiently, but instead he’d been champing at the bit. Did his fears of what she was capable outweigh his interest in her? That was the big question. How long would it take Tony to get bored?

“No,” Finally Tony exhaled. “That won’t be necessary. I will warn you though. I’m going to find out what you were doing when I found you with or without your help. Unless you want to make this easy on me and just _tell_ me.”

“Good luck with that.” Scarlett hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath while waiting for his response until she spoke and finally. Why did he keep asking her what she was doing in Africa anyway? Shouldn’t he know? At least to some extent? Was he testing her to see how much she knew about his involvement? Had MedCo hired her without letting him know? If the company had been funded by Stark Industries then it was possible that he didn’t _want_ to know much about what was happening. The less there was to tie Tony to MedCo the better, legally speaking. It was a smart move, Scarlett would admit. If he knew about MedCo why wouldn’t he just _say_ it? There were no secrets on that front. Or were there?

Scarlett guessed it was part of his charm. 

He wanted to know what she’d been working on and how important her contract was. If she told him the truth, what she’d been working on one of two things would happen. Either he’d hold her to MedCo’s contract or he’d decide she wasn’t important enough to worry about. It could be easy to tell him she’d been held as leverage for someone else’s contract. She could play to her good looks and Tony’s libido and sneak under the radar. Hell, he’d probably even pay her off if she played her cards right. There wouldn’t be any satisfaction in lying though. No, it would be too easy to disappear.

Instead, Scarlett decided she would continue with her initial plan. If Tony was willing to put up with her attitude then she was willing to put up with his. Besides, something nagged at her in the back of her mind about Tony. The whole situation felt off.

“I’m not much of a guy for luck but I’ll take it from you.” Tony smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets only for a second before wiping them on his pants. It was then that Scarlett realized how close he’d come to her. Only a foot or two remained between them. Scarlett intrigued him. He could see the gears turning behind her mischievous blue eyes. Every word, every move was calculated and he wanted to know why.

“Answer me one thing, Stark.”

“Just hold on.” Tony held his hands up to silence her then grabbed her shoulders and looked seriously into her eyes. He stared for a long moment. “I think your concussion is much worse than I anticipated. It seems you’re suffering some kind of memory loss. My name is _Tony_. Stark was my father.”

“No, that was _Howard_.” Scarlett spoke slowly, as if to a small child.

“Wait, so you’d call him by his first name but not me? What gives?” Tony looked absolutely devastated.

“Are you finished?” Scarlett sighed and Tony nodded. “Just tell me one thing. Why are you letting me stay here when I have been less than cooperative? I’ve been trying to get a rise out of you since you walked in. It’s working but you’re still not kicking me out.” Scarlett chose to ignore his objections. There was no real reason why she shouldn’t call him by his first name. Well, there was, but Scarlett wasn’t dwelling on it too hard. Tony was momentarily lost in thought. Maybe if he was a bit more honest with Scarlett she’d be more honest with him. It couldn’t hurt to show a few of his cards.

“That facility I saved you from? It was run by this group. I like to call them terrorists but apparently I’m not allowed to make that call. MedCo, that’s their name. Corny, right? I don’t know what they were up to down there but I know it was nothing good. I’ve been tracking them down for months, trying to stomp them out. Each time I get close? They disappear. I thought they were some half-assed eco-terrorists at first but I’m beginning to think they’re much more than that. I received a tip about that facility and headed out immediately. You know what happened when I got there.” Tony knew he’d had to make a choice. It was either get Scarlett to safety or scour the area for any other signs of MedCo. There was no _real_ choice. He wouldn’t let her die and she would have. For some reason, Tony resisted telling her that. “After I got you back here they’d disappeared. There’s no record a building even existed out there. The newspaper blamed all the destruction nearby to a bad storm.”

Scarlett was struck still. There had been a pause in his story. Maybe he’d taken the time to come up with a clever tale to tug on her heartstrings. That had been a _very_ clever story in that case. It fight right into the new persona he’d been playing in the press after he’d become Iron Man. But Scarlett couldn’t fall for stories. Nothing short of concrete proof would convince Scarlett that Tony Stark had become a humanitarian.

“I think you knew who they were. I think you know how dangerous they were,” Tony spoke again when Scarlett stayed silent. “You’re the only proof I have left of their existence. You are the _only_ lead.”

“What if I don’t know anything? What if you’re wasting your time?” Scarlett spoke carefully. Tony smiled simply. He’d never regret saving someone’s life.

“Well, then I’m wrong. But right now you’re here because I think you know a lot more than you’re letting on. And I’m rarely ever wrong.”

“That’s shocking. I thought for sure I was only still here because you wanted to bed me.” Scarlett turned her back to him considering his story. She hadn’t expected Tony Stark to be such a convincing liar. The fact that he hadn’t been able to keep his Iron Man persona under wraps for more than a week had led her to believe that he had _no_ idea how to keep a secret. What was real and what was not? Unfortunately, Scarlett had no way to tell other than to find evidence. There was no way she was going to take his word face value on anything.

“I’m not that man anymore. I don’t run around at parties picking up women to have a good time with… Well okay, I do. But I rarely bring them home anymore! And I most definitely do not let them sleep in my office.” Tony decided that the air had become too serious for his tastes and grinned. He’d been relieved when Scarlett had taken another dig at him. Perhaps that was just her sense of humor. It was a bit harsh but Tony found it amusing. He had always made a habit of never taking things too seriously, especially himself. “But if that was an offer I’m all over it. I’m only human and you… well you are breath taking, even when you’re all disheveled…” Tony waited for a response, unsure if he’d crossed a line or not. He partially expected to be smacked.

In a weird way it seemed flattering to be complimented so much but Scarlett thought Tony wasn’t so picky when it came to women. He’d always had the most beautiful women on his arm at public events which led her to believe otherwise. While she didn’t doubt that he’d be willing to jump anything with a pulse, she still decided it had been a flattering comment. It was really a shame that he’d had such a terrible reputation and had done such awful things, otherwise Scarlett would’ve been really enjoying the challenge he posed. Tony was insulting. He was an arrogant pig. 

“You couldn’t handle me, Stark.” Scarlett turned to face Tony who hadn’t moved and was now tugging at the burned and ruined jeans she’d left folded up on top of the table. Apparently he wasn’t very good at keeping his hands still. Tony smirked and narrowed his eyes.

“Is that a challenge? And it’s Tony.”

“I’m not going to tell you about Africa. My business is my own. As far as I’m concerned you don’t need to know. You shouldn’t be sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. If this MedCo was up to no good then you have no right to stop them, do you? You’re not the UN and you’re not a member of any national organization. You’re nothing more than a vigilante.”

“That’s your opinion.”

“No, that’s the definition of vigilante actually. And it’s the law.” Scarlett sneered.

“If you’re not going to tell me then I’ll have to either convince you. Or I’ll keep digging.” Tony knew that this _was_ his business even if she didn’t agree with him. He could’ve told her why he was so dead set on finding out what MedCo was up to but that would be showing his entire hand and it was always best to play his cards close to his chest.

“Well, you really are going to need that luck Stark. I’m pretty confident that whole with thing isn’t going to pan out. Mostly because, you know, in order to _woo_ someone with wit you must first possess it.”

“Ouch.” Tony placed a hand to his chest and dramatically pretended he’d been stabbed. “Harsh, aren’t you? Well, think of it as a challenge. And it’s Tony.”

“Haven’t you realized I don’t care about your name?”

“Yes, but I do so…” Tony drifted off, waving his hand in a circular motion. “So since you’re not going to help me figure out what’s going on with MedCo how would you feel about working for me?”

“What?” Scarlett’s mouth hung open. While Tony hadn’t initially planned on offering her a job he was nervous she was searching for an exit strategy. Perhaps that’s why she’d been so confrontational. She wanted him to kick her out. Maybe if he made it worth to stick around she wouldn’t be trying so hard.

“You’re obviously good at what you do, Scarlett. And I could use your insight on the Arc Reactor project.”

“You realize that I’m giving you the cold shoulder, right? I told you exactly what I think about you and your stupid company. I even told you where to shove your ego and yet you’re offering me a job?” Scarlett was in awe that he could be so arrogant! Why should she accept a job with the company she was so morally against? Did he expect her to do all the work on his energy project just so Tony stark could be hailed as a savior in the newspapers? Not a chance in hell.

“Come on, you were practically working for me when you picked up my amplifier anyway! I’d hire you as a private contractor so it’s not even a permanent obligation. You won’t be tied down! Well, unless you _like_ to be tied down and in that case I would be all over that.” Tony spoke between amused chuckles.

“Oh no, no way… First of all I was not working _for_ you in any capacity. I was telling you what an idiot you were for thinking you should amplify such massive power. I was correcting your mistakes, Stark! And if you think that I’m going to work for the company responsible for more bloodshed in other countries than the atomic bomb then you are out of your mind. While you may have fooled most of the world with your talk of peace and change some of us see what Stark Industries really is. Do you have any idea the damage that you’ve done? You are single handedly responsible for multiple genocides, Stark! I swore long ago I’d never work for your company. And I most certainly am _not_ going to work for someone I’m just as smart as and definitely not someone who is a bigger asshole than I am. Trust me, that’s a hard title to get!”

“Whoa! Hey… hey that’s crossing a few lines. I know what this company _was_. I know that there was a lot going on that people didn’t know, that I didn’t know! I didn’t _know_ where half of my weapons were…”

“Oh, don’t feign innocence! You knew exactly what was going on and you chose to ignore it because you didn’t think it was your responsibility until you almost died in the process. Ignoring it is just as bad as doing it.”

“First of all, my name is Tony and I am _not_ my father and I _never_ will be. He was cold and calculating and while he had good intentions he didn’t make an effort to put a stop to the wicked things that became of his work in the end. He and his partner were pulling the strings in Stark Industries before I had anything to do with it.”

“And when it continued you turned a blind eye!”

“Yes, I was an asshole but that was _before_ …”

“Before you got a taste of what your weapons can do first hand!” Scarlett tapped the reactor on his chest and he immediately batted her hand away in frustration. She was admittedly still curious to why that thing sat in his chest. What damage had been done that he needed something so drastic to keep him alive? If it wasn’t a necessity, Scarlett was sure it wouldn’t be there.

“Yes and no but if you’d stop interrupting me…”

“Why? You have interrupted me at every opportunity!”

“That’s because…”

“I’m sure there’s a good reason or you wouldn’t be doing it, huh? Surely what Tony Stark has to say is more important than anything!”

“I didn’t _say_ that but you’re not…”

“Oh, come off it.”

“Excuse me.” Scarlett and Tony turned toward the door to see that Pepper Potts had, once again, managed to sneak into the lab while they were arguing. 

“What Pepper?” Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. Scarlett was relieved that she had a chance to calm down. At the same moment she had enjoyed every second of frustrating Tony Stark. Where did he get the nerve to offer her a _job_? She’d made it perfectly clear what she thought of him and his work! Did he have no idea the impact of what his legacy was? She’d seen the damage Stark technology had done over the years. Nothing could erase those dark images from her mind. There was no way she could work for him. It was insulting that he’d thought she’d been working for him when she’d offered an alternative solution to his reactor project! Tony may have been the wonder boy of his generation but he was most definitely not the most brilliant man Scarlett had ever met. His superiority complex, inability to cooperate, and addictive behaviors made him fall short in comparison even to her intellect.

“The guest room is finished. I changed the sheets and made sure everything was clean.” Pepper wasn’t sure if she should’ve interrupted but had grown considerably nervous when she’d seen how aggressive they’d become. As much as she enjoyed watching someone challenge Tony, Scarlett had given her a bad feeling. There was something far more intricate going on than Tony was letting her in on.

Tony and Scarlett exchanged glances and wondered why this was important enough to stop their argument.

“The shower is clean and I left some catalogues on the dresser so that you could choose some clothing that can be delivered as quickly as possible,” Pepper clarified when it seemed that neither genius in the room had made the simple connection.

“Oh, thank you,” Scarlett sighed. Tony looked truly disappointed that they had finished fighting for the moment which confused the hell out of Scarlett. How the hell could he be enjoying this? She’d insulted him more in the last ten minutes than she had since she’d woken up and he was finding _pleasure_ in it. At the same time, he was visibly irritated and his temper had finally shortened. It was nice to know Tony could lose his cool. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go upstairs and get cleaned up.”

“Actually I _do_ mind,” Tony objected as Scarlett walked past him but made no effort to stop her either.

“I’m going anyway.”

“You’re going to have to wrap your leg again and reapply the topical medicine you know!” Tony said shortly, tilting his head up so he could get a better view of her walking away.

“Fine, I’ll do it myself.”

“Like hell you will. Consider the offer I made! It is a good job! Once in a lifetime opportunity that you’re…” Before he could continue objecting, Scarlett had walked out of the room. Pepper stared at Tony in awe, waiting for an explanation. “Aren’t you going to go with her? She could go anywhere.”

“Jarvis offered to show her the way.”

“I’ll be damned if he has a crush on her. Jarvis, do you have a _crush_ on her?”

“I am not programmed to feel such things, sir.”

“He has a crush on her.” Tony clarified for Pepper.

“What was that, Tony?” Pepper furrowed her brow and stepped cautiously closer.

“What was what?” Tony walked back to his desk and flipped his computer screens back to life. He snapped his fingers and various databases jumped to life. The last time he’d been down there he’d been trying to track down the source of the tip he’d received.

“ _What was what?_ Tony, what was all that yelling about? Those horrible things she said…”

“She wasn’t wrong about a lot of it, Pepper.” Tony shrugged his shoulders, typing away on his keyboard before he’d even sat down.

“You’re not the awful man…”

“Oh, don’t defend me. I know what I was,” Tony shook his head. Silence followed until Pepper realized Tony had nothing to follow up with.

“You’re in over your head. She’s trouble.”

“I thought you _liked_ her.”

“I think it’s great that she’s putting you in your place about all the… man whore stuff but, Tony she’s dangerous. I have a bad feeling.”

“Oh come on, a bad feeling? And man whore? _Really?_ ” Tony scoffed, spinning in his chair and contemplating what to do with the precarious situation he’d gotten himself into. He was having more fun than he’d had in years.

“She was _so_ angry with you, Tony. There’s some deeper wound there. No one gets that upset over someone’s reputation alone.”

“Yeah, but she won’t tell me that yet,” Tony muttered. “There’s something wrong with this whole thing. I’m going to get to the bottom of it before she runs out of here.”

“I think you’d be better off if she left.”

“I need her to stay. She’s the only link I have to MedCo. I couldn’t let her leave if I wanted to, but you’re right.” Tony held up his hand to stifle Pepper’s immediate objections. “I can’t keep her hostage either. I know kidnapping is a crime you don’t have to keep reminding me. I have to make her thing she’s free to go. I need to make staying more tempting than leaving.”

“From the sound of it, I don’t think that’s going very well, Tony.” Pepper smiled a bit, relieved that Tony was thinking past his libido. At least he saw that there was much more mystery within Scarlett than she’d anticipated.

“I offered her a job.”

“You know that actually explains almost the whole argument.” Pepper laughed, feeling relief flood through her. “I must have walked in after you offered it. All I heard was her yelling about what a terrible company you have.”

“She wasn’t exactly _yelling…_ ”

“She was definitely yelling.”

“No, she was just passionate. Which is _way_ sexier.”

“Do you ever stop?”

“When I do I hope you’ll ask what’s wrong with me.” Tony smirked and turned his attention away from the computer and instead cracked his knuckles then tapped his fingers against his jeans.

“I suppose you’re right about that. So, how do you plan on getting her to work for you if she can’t stand you _or_ your company? Obviously you rubbed her the wrong way even suggesting it.”

“I would _love_ to rub her the wrong way, Pepper.”

“Tony.” Pepper threatened, trying to keep him on point.

“You left that one wide open, Pepper! What was I supposed to do? Just leave it alone? You should stop giving me these opportunities if it bothers you so much! Sometimes I think that you set it up for me.”

“Tony, please! We can barely carry a conversation since she got here.” Pepper laughed. It was true. Ever since he’d brought the mysterious woman home he’d been cracking jokes every chance he’d gotten.

“Fine, fine… I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. She’s got me at a loss. I thought offering her a job would be the way to go but now she’s all offended. Something about working for the devil or something like that…” Tony summarized.

“So you offered her a job here at Stark Industries? Well… maybe she doesn’t want to work _for_ you.”

“That’s not really helping me, Pepper. It’s the only card I have to play.”

“You’re missing my point, Tony.” Pepper smiled softly. “Sometimes you get so caught up in the little details that you miss the obvious ones.”

“Am I? Enlighten me.”

“What if you offered that she work _with_ you instead of _for_ you?”

“What like a partnership? No way.” Tony cringed at the notion and continued typing on his holographic keyboard. With a snap of his fingers holographic set of files appearing, replacing the earlier data.

“You offended her, Tony! Obviously she’s an asset to whatever it is you’re doing down here.” Pepper gestured toward the table that had the scorched scrap metal lying on top of it. “Instead you’re treating her like she’s some intern scraping for an opportunity.”

“She did have some really good ideas. Honestly, I haven’t had anyone school me like that in… well, not since school.”

“Well, then it sounds like you need to make her an offer she can’t refuse. Working for you when she’s got skills like that probably seemed insulting. If she worked _with_ you though… as an equal…”

“But she’s _not_ an equal.”

“Now you’re just being a jerk.” Pepper crossed her arms in annoyance. “She’s obviously talented and you are _threatened._ ”

“Not threatened.” Tony stopped typing and pointed an accusing finger at his assistant. “I’m not threatened,” he repeated then thought about it. “Okay, a little threatened, but mostly just intrigued… and excited.”

“Sometimes you’re just gross, Tony.”

“That was all you this time, Potts!” Tony laughed, widening his eyes. “I definitely didn’t mean it like that.” Pepper’s cheeks turned pink and she shrugged.

“Call it spending too much time with you.”

“I will gladly take credit for that. That… That was good.” Tony laughed and relaxed momentarily in his chair before lazily scrolling through the files on his right.

“You need to give her something that’s going to feel like an opportunity Tony, not something that’s going to feel demeaning.”

“Working _for_ me is an opportunity.”

“Not when she feels the way she does about your company. But if she worked with you, and not for you, then she might find it all very interesting.”

“I guess you could be right, Pepper. I might be able to sweeten the deal a bit.”

“That’s a good boy.” Pepper smiled triumphantly then groaned as Tony continued talking. He clearly wasn’t getting her point.

“Maybe if I offer to let her help me recreate the element for this new converter… that’s a pretty good opportunity.”

“I don’t think it’s going to matter as long as she’ll have you lording over her like you’re her boss.”

“But Pepper, I’m not _good_ at sharing,” Tony whined dramatically. “Not to mention I’m not good at being second chair.”

“Well, I know that.”

“Besides, it’d mean handing over control to some… some woman.”

“Why is that such a big deal?” Pepper glared in offense. Tony stared, contemplating his answer carefully once he realized that he’d dug himself into a hole.

“Because… she’s too distracting to take orders from,” Tony pouted.

“Why is that?”

“Well…” Tony stuttered in frustration.

“You take orders from me every day.”

“…touché.” Tony laughed nervously. “I’ll consider it, okay? I can’t make any promises!”

“I think you don’t have much of a choice. After what I witnessed earlier she has one foot out the door already. If you want to get anything out of her, you’re going to have to become more appealing to her.”

“I know that, but she’s not as easy as all the other women I’ve dealt with.”

“Well, then maybe it’s time to try something a little different, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, maybe. Pepper, I need some time to think.” Tony grumbled. It wasn’t that women had never defied him. Of course they had. There was no one set type of woman and Tony knew that. It was partially what made him so good at tangling them in his web. Maybe he was the problem with this woman, not the other way around.

“Of course.” Pepper nodded. “I have a thousand and one things to do anyway. I’ll check in on you later.” She walked toward the door and left. Watching her go, Tony shook his head.

“Jeez, she makes me sound like I’m wasting _her_ time.” Tony sighed and turned back to his computer. “Jarvis, search for information on Scarlett Damien, Let me know what you come up with. I’ve got to find some leverage.”

“Mrs. Potts had some valid points, sir. I think blackmail is probably not the best approach.”

“Yeah, but that’s my last resort for now, Jarvis.” Tony kicked his feet on top of the desk and grabbed his water bottle, watching as the computer scanned through various databases for information that may pertain to the woman that he’d found out in the desert. With any luck, Jarvis would find _something_.


	6. Second Nature Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doubt racks Scarlett's mind and trauma slowly eats away at her, but she can't quite see it. Normalcy has left her feeling empty and lost and refusing to admit it's so. Tony on the other hand can't seem to see what's right in front of him. Instead he looks for more mystery than he's prepared for instead of seeing the trauma unfolding in his own home.

When Scarlett had walked through the Malibu mansion, guided by Jarvis, she’d been far too preoccupied to take note of the opulence of the home. Some of it had been impossible to ignore, but still she pushed it to the back of her mind. There were far more important things no her mind. 

It wasn’t a question of why Tony made her so angry but rather why she allowed it to bother her.

Of _course_ he angered her! 

After the atrocities he'd committed it was a wonder she’d had any restraint at all. The terrorism, the deceit! Even to Scarlett, who was no saint, it seemed despicable. To top it off it seemed he expected gratitude! He even played the martyr. Scarlett had never allowed one singular person to get under her skin this way. At least she hadn't in years. Lost in thought, Scarlett came to when Jarvis instructed her that she had walked past the guest room that had been designated as hers.

Upon opening the door Scarlett was finally forced to observe just how beautiful Tony Stark’s home actually was. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, the man seemed to have impeccable taste. His reputation had always led her to believe that his place would be filled with tacky paintings of half naked women leaning on sports cars. Scarlett decided that this must have been Pepper’s doing. There was no way Tony could’ve possibly had the eye for such exquisite artwork.

The room she would be staying in was far more extravagant than Scarlett had anticipated. Then again, she hadn't put much thought into it. Since she'd woken up everything had been a blur. The wall closest to the door was lined floor to ceiling with large windows facing the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Not seeing any blinds, Scarlett wondered curiously if they were in fact screens that would darken given an order to Jarvis. It wouldn’t surprise her, everything in Tony Stark's mansion was state of the art.

She couldn't help but think that if she chose to settle down someday she would live in a place eerily similar. Why did they have to have so much in common? It was frustrating to see parallels in someone she was supposed to despise.

“There are fresh towels in the bathroom along with the finest shampoos and soaps money can buy. Would you like me to start the water for your shower, Miss Damien?” Still startled by the omnipresent Jarvis, Scarlett glanced upward, searching for someone to talk to. It felt nothing short of odd to speak with such incredible technology, but somehow thrilling at the same time. Oddly, she felt rude not making eye contact with this disembodied voice.

There was a large and comfortable looking bed decorated with various dark linens, an excess of pillows at the head of it. Scarlett had never thought a bed had looked so appealing in her entire life. Her back suddenly reminded her of just how uncomfortable sleeping at a desk had been. Against the opposite wall hung several abstract paintings and a series of clocks, each with a different time set for various countries. Turning she closed the door behind her and walked toward the bed, taking note of the regal looking dresser at the far end of the room and the two nightstands on either side of the bed. It looked like the guest room had been untouched for a long time.

“Yes, please Jarvis,” Scarlett finally responded, pushing her filthy hair out of her face. After observing the lavish and modern looking furniture throughout the bedroom and tossing around the clothing magazines Pepper had left for her to look through Scarlett meandered into the bathroom. She felt like she was floating and not in a good way. Not surprisingly, the bathroom was just as lavish, even in the dark. “Make it hot, okay? I really need it.”

“Right away, Miss Damien.”

She searched for a light switch near the door but instead the lights came on before she could find it. Having small everyday tasks eliminated was not something she had expected. Not only had she never lived with such technology at her disposal, she’d gone from living in a dark room with next to no food or sleep for the past few weeks to being in the extravagant mansion of Tony Stark. It was a big enough adjustment from normal life anywhere in the world, nonetheless captivity.

There was a long marble counter along the left wall, two round mirrors above two modern looking sinks. Even the toilet looked high tech. Scarlett wondered if any aspect of life was normal for Tony Stark and guessed that it wasn’t.

“Answer something for me, Jarvis.”

“If it is within the allowed perimeters, I shall Miss Damien.” Scarlett closed the door to the bathroom behind her and locked it just in case Tony was feeling brave. While he’d joked with her about the tension and sparks he'd alluded to between them, Scarlett knew there was something far more serious bubbling just beneath the billionaire’s playful exterior. It was incredibly unlikely that he would try to sneak into the bathroom but at the same time Scarlett didn’t feel like giving him more credit than he deserved. Besides, if he was malevolent enough to use his wealth and intelligence to murder countless people in foreign countries for a profit then what was stopping him from chasing her in the shower? Or maybe she was paranoid. Who could blame her?

“You’re the whole security system for this place, am I right?”

“Yes, Madame, you are indeed correct. Is there something that concerns you?”

“Are there cameras in _every_ room of the house?” Implying her concern was a lot easier than outright asking if Tony was a voyeur.

“No, Miss Damien there is not a camera in every room. If you are concerned about your privacy you should be pleased to know that while the bedroom has security functions and limited camera use, all the bathrooms in the house are free of cameras and sensors.”

“Huh… Consider me surprised. I would’ve expected Stark to have _all_ the cameras and sensors in here… given his taste level.” Scarlett, feeling as though she could trust the computer system to a fault unzipped the side of the dress Pepper had allowed her to borrow for the time being. It was tight on her hips and chest, but it still fit better than the tattered jeans had. Pepper was thinner than Scarlett was, or at least not as curvy. Folding the dress neatly, she placed it on the counter and looked at herself in the mirror.

She didn’t look as terrible as she had expected after weeks of captivity. While she was far thinner than she’d once been, she still looked rather nice despite the obvious lack of personal hygiene she’d been deprived of. Luckily, Scarlett had always been the type to abandon such things when she’d become engrossed in her work so it hadn’t bothered her too much for the first few days. Though now that she’d had time to think about it and the immediate danger had passed, she felt rather disgusting.

She found herself staring in the mirror but not at her reflection. Her stomach churned.

Finally she turned to the shower, opened the glass door, and stuck her hand beneath the spray of warm water coming from one of four shower heads on the ceiling. How long had it been since she’d been even granted access to a shower nonetheless a proper bathroom? Leaning her head against the glass door, Scarlett only realized her hand was trembling when the water from one of the shower heads splashed her face. Pulling her hand back, she closed the shower door and leaned against the opposite wall lost in thought.

Clenching her trembling hands, she folded her arms over her chest and took deep breaths. Why was she shaking so terribly? Closing her eyes in an attempt to clear her mind, she immediately opened them again when she saw the flash of an explosion on the back of her eyelids.

She could name a thousand situations from her past that had been scarier than the one with MedCo so why was this one hitting her so damn hard? Stepping away from the cool touch of the tiled bathroom wall, Scarlett tried to think of anything else to calm her racing heart. Her leg stung at the memory of the explosion that had so severely damaged it.

It wasn’t like this had been the worst thing that had ever happened to her. On a job in the Middle East, Scarlett had been hired by a private company to sneak behind enemy lines, sabotage a rebel groups targeting system for their missiles, and to make digital copies of their back up files to give the company that had hired her an advantage against their adversaries. Scarlett had done her research on the company before accepting the job. She’d never been the type to lie in bed with a company or corporation without doing her research.

This had been the first time that Scarlett had simply taken anyone’s word on a contract. And she’d only done so because Scott had talked them up and encouraged her to work for them. He had promised that he knew all about the company thanks to some old coworkers. He’d assured her that their work was truly revolutionary and above all benevolent. Had Scott really known what he’d been talking about? Maybe there was a chance he’d known about the darker side of MedCo and had tricked Scarlett into being hired. But why would he do that? _He wouldn’t._ Scott betraying her was out of the question. He was a good man. She'd been the monster.

“Damnit.” Pushing her hair out of her face Scarlett paced across the bathroom in an attempt to clear her mind of the darker thoughts she refused to consider. At last she resigned to get on with it and take her shower, removing her undergarments and the bandages that covered her wounds. She’d begun to think about the work she’d done in the Middle East as an attempt to console herself so why on earth had she started thinking about MedCo again nearly immediately? Out of all the awful experiences she’d had why couldn’t she shake _this_ particular one?

“Are you alright, Miss Damien? Your heart rate has very suddenly spiked multiple times. Is there cause for concern? Should I send for aid?” The sound of Jarvis’ voice nearly made Scarlett jump out of her skin. It was easy to forget that there was a computer making note of her on a constant basis.

“I’m fine,” Scarlett spoke after she regained her composure. She then touched her palm to the wall. Why did she feel the need to comfort the damn computer? “Thank you, Jarvis.”

“You are most welcome, Miss Damien.”

Opening the glass door of the shower once more, Scarlett stepped inside and closed it behind her. Hesitantly she stepped beneath the spray of hot water and while she’d expected her wounds to burn and sting, it was nothing in comparison to the absolute comforting feeling of the clean water on her dirty skin.

With a heavy sigh she rinsed the dirt and muck out of her hair, not bothering to look down at the water for fear of how disgusting it might actually be. Rinsing herself off was the first step to feeling better. The stinging of her wounds was a temporary relief from the thoughts of Africa plaguing her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, some new horror waited to flash before them. Not only was Africa on her mind but now so was Afghanistan. 

Of course her plan to forget MedCo had backfired! Why did she pick _that_ particular job to think about anyway? She’d been on countless fun and exciting jobs! Naturally she had to concentrate on the ones that ended in torture and death instead of the ones that ended in mystery and intrigue. 

Once she’d properly rinsed off Scarlett quickly located the shampoo and soaps that Jarvis had mentioned and was grateful for them more than anything else. While she was usually not concerned with her physical appearance when she was working she did take pride in her beauty most other times. She had never let herself go this long without showering or caring for her hygiene before and the idea of feeling clean sounded like it could be a huge comfort from what had happened. Then again, it wasn’t like she’d been this filthy by choice. She hadn’t exactly been staying in a five star resort.

While she cleaned her long curly hair she continued along that line of thought. Maybe the sudden monotony of waking up in a safe environment after the constant terror and intensity of the situation in Africa had shocked her system. How could she drop her defenses now that she was essentially safe? She had no idea where to begin. Every turn and every word still felt like a manipulation or an attack that she had to defend herself against. Why couldn’t she shake the feeling of danger and fear? 

Suddenly she realized _why_ she’d thought of the Middle East. What had happened there had been a lot more horrifying than what had happened to her in Africa. It had been the last time Scarlett had been in serious trouble before she’d taken the job with MedCo. She figured if she could get past what had happened in the Middle East without blinking an eye then she should be able to handle what had happened in Africa without a second thought. 

She was careful to avoid thinking of details of that mission in particular since she seemed to have stirred up enough unpleasant memories thus far. But _had_ she handled that situation very well back then when she’d returned to India after all had been said and done? She’d managed to stay away from the more dangerous jobs after that at the very least, despite the fact they had once been the only sorts she’d accepted. Her reputation underground had been of one that had sought out danger.

The problem was that taking safe jobs had always bored the hell out of her. Scarlett was terrible when she’d been given too much free time. She’d found other ways to get into trouble which had only succeeded in adding to her criminal record for drunken and disorderly conduct and causing fights in bars with guys twice her size. 

Scarlett had always been a thrill seeker. 

The one time she _hadn’t_ been looking for trouble by taking a job with MedCo had been the one time she’d gotten in far more danger than she’d expected. Maybe that was what bothered her. She had been trying, for once, to do the right thing. But she had wound up in way over her head, which was something she rarely admitted. At least when she’d made a deal to go to the Middle East she had known what she was getting herself into and what the risks were. Her job with MedCo wasn’t supposed to turn into a hostage situation.

Rinsing out her hair, Scarlett instantly felt lighter and cleaner than before but the heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach hadn’t dissipated in the slightest. Cleaning the rest of her wouldn’t take very long even though she had to be careful around her various wounds. She noticed then the impeccable job that had been done caring for her wounds. Eventually she would have to say thank you to Tony for what he’d done for her and she dreaded every second of it.

She didn’t have time for any of this post traumatic stress garbage she was sure she was experiencing. There was still too much at stake for her to give into the cloud forming above her head. What was she supposed to do? Sleep it off? Drink it away? As far as she was concerned, she was still being held hostage. No matter how many times she told herself the situation had changed, her mind couldn’t switch gears.

She had to realize that Scott was dead and there was no saving him anymore. She’d heard Erick give the order to shoot him and if that hadn’t done the job then she was sure that the explosions that had brought down the building had been the end of him. Still, she could save Scott’s memory by bringing justice upon Tony Stark for what he had done.

She knew what Scott would say to her if he knew what was going on within the confines of her mind. Leaning against the wall of the shower underneath the spray of water she slid to sit on the floor, her leg throbbing and stinging from the soap and hot water she’d irritated it with. 

Scott would tell her to back off and do something else to occupy her rage. He would tell her that there was no way she could fight against Tony Stark and all his money and popularity. Why was she fighting so hard for someone who had always told her to give up when things got too dangerous?

Because she knew fighting for him was the _right_ thing to do. It wasn’t just for Scott, either. This was for her and for the many people that Stark had manipulated over the years. The world would’ve been a better place with the advanced prosthetics she had been originally planning to create with MedCo, but it would have been even better without the technological grip of Stark Industries and its corrupt CEO. 

How many people before her had been tricked into working for Stark Industries thinking they were honestly doing some good for the world only to find out they were being manipulated? How many families had been taken captive and held as collateral to keep people working for Stark’s subsidiary companies in the middle of the desert where there was very little law to help them even if they managed to escape?

That was enough to solidify her decision. She had been doubting what she had to do in regards to Stark Industries and doubting that she could put up with Tony Stark and his attitude for long enough before she had accomplished what needed to be done. But now that she’d really sat and thought about the situation, she knew she could do it.

Tony wasn’t as insufferable as she had expected upon first meeting him. She _was_ suffering from some kind of mental trauma which had only made it that much harder to deal with Tony. Not to mention, she was having a very hard time separating what he’d done in Africa from what he was telling her. There was a very small part of her that was grateful that she’d been saved from the desert sands by Iron Man but there was a far bigger part of her that was so angry that Tony Stark had been responsible for her being there in the first place that she couldn’t overcome. Now he was feigning innocence and trying to manipulate her into telling him what she knew.

_That_ was why she had been so angry at him. That was the source of the rage she couldn’t shake. Running a hand through her soaking wet hair in an attempt to untangle it, Scarlett hung her head and looked at the floor of the shower, the droplets of water moving toward the drain in the center of the tile temporarily distracting her.

How was she going to go get past Tony to get into his computer systems and secret files so she could expose him for what he really was? How was she going to disable Jarvis and the security system in general? On top of that, how would she accomplish any of those things when so consumed with anger?

Scarlett didn’t doubt that she _could_ do it. The hardest part would be getting Tony off of her tail long enough to give her the opportunity to do the job correctly. He was just as wary of her as she was of him and she was sure that he would be monitoring her every move. Even if she got up while he was sleeping, Jarvis would let him know she was out of bed and in his computers before she got the chance to shut the system down.

But Tony Stark had an incredibly obvious weakness. Scarlett knew the weakness very well, as did most of the world. Could Scarlett really exploit that just so she could get the proof she’d needed?

It wasn’t his arrogance, it wasn’t even his ego that was his weakness. It was his libido that would do the trick. If she could get him to trust her enough to get him into bed then she could take advantage of him and get exactly what she needed. If she played it right, she could play it off as an elaborate prank even. While he slept, she’d be able to take his phone and disable his computer system from his bed and then get into his files in the basement. Maybe if she could get him to drink enough, he’d pass out entirely and she wouldn’t even _have_ to sleep with him.

He wouldn’t have to know what she wanted to get from his computers instead she could explain to him that she just wanted him to feel as used for sex as the women that he left behind after his many one night stands. Considering how she’d been talking to him since she’d woken up it would sound like an incredibly viable excuse. With the Jarvis system turned off he’d have no idea what files she would have accessed.

She could simply copy all of the files hidden on his drive then look them over later on. While she was sure that it wouldn’t be easy to get past the security Tony had built into his home, she knew that with a good four hours alone in his lab she could do it without question.

But could she _really_ do something as despicable as lure Tony Stark into bed? That was low, even for her, and Scarlett had done a lot of nasty things in her life up to that point. Using her body in such a manner had never been out of the question even if she’d always only exploited men visually, never physically. There had never been the need to push it further than that in the past.

It was hard _not_ to use feminine wiles to her advantage when she was in a field predominantly run by men. In fact, it had always felt sort of pathetic to Scarlett, how easy it was to manipulate the male species with a pretty face and the right attitude.

Unless she could think of another way to get into Tony’s files that didn’t require months of working for him and gaining his trust, Scarlett would stick with her plan. When given the chance she would let Tony make a move on her and she would do what she could to avoid the actual act of sex, but if she had to, she would go through with it until the end.

It wouldn’t be her first one night stand, though she wasn’t sure she could hold back her disgust with the man long enough to let it happen. She’d had plenty of drunken one night stands before she’d promised Scott she’d stop, but it would be the first calculated and planned one. Alcohol certainly couldn’t hurt the situation, as long as she didn’t drink enough to stop her from being able to hack his computer system without fucking up. Once it was over with it would be worth the little sacrifice she had to make to be able to expose Tony Stark to the world as what he really was: a money hungry, blood thirsty tyrant manipulating those less fortunate and forcing them to bend to his whim under the guise of a super hero.

What would Scott think of her for the decision she’d made? Surely he would tell her how disgusted he was with her for even considering doing such a lowly thing. Using sex for personal gain was just as bad as using it for financial gain in Scott’s eyes. Scarlett reminded herself why she was doing this. Scott was dead and the only way to get justice for him was to take down Tony Stark. She’d have to remind herself that she was doing it for him.

But was she _really_ doing it for him? Or was she doing it out of guilt since she couldn’t save Scott? It wasn’t like she thought the world had lost a terribly brilliant mind. It was simply the principle of the thing.

Deciding she’d done all the thinking she could do without causing a migraine, she stood up, hands still trembling for whatever reason, the rock still sunken in the pit of her stomach. There was a brief moment of confusion as she searched for a way to turn off the water before she recalled that Jarvis had controlled it for her in the first place.

“I’m done in here Jarvis.” Scarlett looked up at the ceiling, which she had decided was better than talking to the floor. Despite the way her life had panned out, she’d been raised to be a lady and it felt weird not looking at the person she was addressing.

The water turned off on its own only a moment later.

“You’re amazing Jarvis.”

“Thank you Miss Damien,” the house responded politely. Scarlett got to her feet and stepped out of the shower, her leg throbbing, causing her to. Wrapping the towel around her body after drying off, she contemplated the situation at hand once again while she attempted to steady her hands.

Tony Stark would regret the day that he’d saved a woman he knew nothing about in the desert and invited her into his home. At last she had a plan. Or at least she thought she did. Something still ached in her mind.

Why the hell did she still feel so awful? She had a plan and a concrete goal. Her motivation should’ve returned. Deciding it best to ignore the nagging doubt and the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Scarlett didn’t bother with her reflection in the mirror and instead started the process of drying her wounds without making them bleed.

Tony kicked his feet onto his desk and leaned back, browsing the holographic records he’d been browsing when Pepper had interrupted him with her feminist rant. Scarlett Damien had not been an easy person to track down, as the last half an hour had proved. Finally in Germany he’d found some records of her existence. He'd begun to think that she was a figment of his imagination.

Feeling rather successful for finally locating something, he smirked to himself and opened the private files he’d stolen from the police in Germany. He was looking forward to telling the stubborn woman that he knew all about her and her promise that he wouldn’t find a damn thing on her would be broken. He didn’t know why he felt that he had to _beat_ her so badly. Maybe it was because she’d shown him up on his own project. While it hadn’t initially bothered him that she’d come up with a solution to something he’d been working on for weeks, the more he thought about it the more it irked him.

Or maybe it had been because Pepper had told him that he should offer her a _partnership_ instead of the already incredibly generous job offer he’d made and it still rubbed him the wrong way. Mostly because he knew that his assistant was right and Scarlett had probably been offended that he’d assumed she should be his subordinate when she’d shown him up only moments beforehand. Maybe it was a combination of these two things that had bothered him so much. Or maybe it was because Scarlett was a whole different game to play.

When he read through the file he’d found after translating it, he kicked his feet off of the desk and back onto the floor. Then with a sigh he slammed his fist against the top of his desk in frustration.

“Not what you were looking for was it, sir?” Jarvis interrupted after Tony simply sat cursing and shaking the hand he’d now injured on his desk out of annoyance.

“What makes you think that Jarvis? Was it perhaps all the cursing or was it the slamming and yelling that gave me away? Are there any _other_ files on this woman? There has to be some information lying around in the world for Scarlett Damien!” Tony grimaced. 

The file he’d opened that he’d stolen from Germany was a police report where no charges had officially been filed. Apparently she’d gotten into a bar fight near the airport a few years prior and had broken a beer glass on some poor guy’s face. When the fight had been investigated further the bartender had vouched for the pretty woman and the case had been considered self defense since the man in question had become rather hands on with Scarlett against her will and she was simply defending herself. At least that’s what the file had claimed, somehow Tony knew it couldn’t be right.

“Why do I doubt that’s the whole story?” Tony muttered, crumpling up the holographic file and tossing it into the goal post that Jarvis brought up habitually for him when he started crumpling up files he didn’t need. A ringing bell went off and a point total popped up above the target Tony had hit with his shot.

“Sir there is another police report in London filed under Scarlett Damien. She served three months in jail for property damage and minor drunken and disorderly charges,” Jarvis read the file aloud rather than bringing it up for Tony since he predicted it would be discarded.

“How the hell doesn’t she have a birth certificate on record somewhere? Why aren’t there any college records or accomplishments? Tax records? Job history? Nothing! It’s impossible that this woman is completely untraceable.” Tony had even looked through the records of various engineering companies and college programs at reputable schools and then less than reputable schools when he had found nothing and had only continued to strike out. 

There had been hundreds of women enrolled in schools and hired by companies named Scarlett Damien but there were very few photos or physical descriptions paired with them. Not to mention, Tony didn’t know how old the woman was or her middle name so he couldn’t narrow his criteria. He was searching for a needle in a haystack, which was a phrase he hated to use but he couldn’t think of a better way to describe his strife.

“I cannot answer that, sir. It seems you do not have all the facts required to locate Miss Damien’s digital signature.”

“Damien must be an alias. I would’ve found her already if it was her real name,” Tony tapped his fingers on the desk with one hand and took a sip of the protein shake he’d made Pepper bring him earlier with the other hand, contemplating his next move.

“My guess is it is not an alias, sir. There was no hint of deceit in her voice when she revealed her name to Miss Potts.”

“Maybe the whole name is an alias.”

“Sir, there was no…”

“Yeah, I heard you but maybe she’s a really _good_ liar. Or maybe she’s just been lying so long that she’s started to believe the damn lie. It’s complicated, Jarvis,” Tony interrupted his computer and then spun around in his chair to face the table he’d had kept Scarlett on. He leaned his elbows on his knees, one hand over his mouth while he sat in thought. Finally Tony stopped pondering the very little information that he’d found on the femme fatale he’d saved. 

It seemed to him like Scarlett was far more trouble than he’d anticipated she'd be when he’d carried her out of the desert that day. Though, equally she could be far more fun than expected. If nothing else, she was definitely _not_ boring. It wasn’t like Tony didn’t have his own criminal record that he’d paid his way out of over the years. It had only been recently that he’d managed to stay out of trouble, or at least keep the trouble he’d gotten into within the confines of his home.

He’d been arrested for drunk and disorderly behavior on more than one occasion, not to mention public nudity and property damage. The internet was filled with videos that proved his sexual appetite was insatiable and showed off his various bad behaviors. It was surprising to Tony, that with a record like Scarlett’s that was so similar to his that there was no proof of it other than in police reports. 

Had fame and fortune really been the reason his illicit activities had become such popular fodder for the media? Of course it was. When normal people got into the same kind of trouble it was irresponsible or no one cared. Maybe Scarlett was good enough with computers that she’d erased her digital imprint. He’d been impressed with her engineering knowledge and how quickly she’d learned to manipulate Jarvis’ interface, so perhaps she had other skills that would assist her in such a thing.

That was impossible, Tony realized after a few moments spent in thought on ways she could’ve accomplished erasing her identity. Once something was on the internet it was impossible to get rid of entirely. No matter how good someone was with a computer, information always left traces.

“Bring up those records we copied from MedCo’s servers before they locked us out and disappeared,” Tony whispered with his hand still over his mouth. Despite how muffled he’d been Jarvis obeyed his command. Turning in his chair to face his holographic screen, Tony continued to browse through the files for what felt like the thousandth time in search of anything regarding Scarlett Damien or the contracts that had been made with employees.

While he found plenty of financial information for standard company supplies, he was beginning to think that the files he’d found were doctored in case someone like him came hacking into their system. There wasn’t a single mention of outsourcing employees for large projects in any of the fifty pages of information Tony had managed to get his hands on.

“Sir, I found more police reports involving the name Scarlett Damien in my continued search. Unfortunately the information within the files is just as vague as the ones you’ve already seen.” Jarvis reported after minutes of silence had passed while Tony read through the recovered MedCo files.

“Copy them to the hard drive for me to look at later. I doubt they’re going to tell me very much, other than the girl knows how to start a bar fight. So much for her being a model… Make a note of when they were filed and the locations on a map under my private drive and name it Red04. It’s about time I started a file on her anyway. If it kills me, I’m going to figure out something about this woman.” Tony didn't bother to look away from the MedCo files.

“Yes, sir. File created. Shall I make the folder red, for your convenience?” Jarvis responded curiously.

“Yeah, I guess you don’t have to name it then either. We’ll just refer to it as Red04, alright? Thanks Jarvis.” The computer remained quiet while Tony browsed through the files though it had followed orders immediately. Increasingly frustrated that he couldn’t find a damn thing on this mystery woman outside of drunken bar fight reports in various countries, Tony continued his search through the MedCo files in hopes of anything he’d missed. Even one word out of place could change things entirely, but the files had been exactly how he’d remembered them and just as helpful. 

Finally, Tony pushed the files away, then clapped his hands together while he watched the file instantly close at his command. He put his head in his hands, messing up his already messy hair before straightening it once again and staring into space with his hands over his mouth, habitually caressing his thumb over his goatee to feel the stubble. 

“Is there something on your mind, sir?”

“Other than the obvious?” Sighing, Tony continued to stare, pulling his hand away from his mouth. “This woman is… nothing short of a mystery.” Tony narrowed his eyes, thinking of what connections he could make with the police reports, if any, that would lead him to further information.

“Is she, sir?”

“I know she was working for MedCo in Africa, Jarvis. Why else would she be there if not working for them? I can’t find a damn record on what they were building or what the company even does. It’s all… rhetoric! The whole damn file is simply… run around and conjecture. I’m beginning to think we’ve been led astray _again,_ Jarvis. These files… were fed to us to try and throw us off the trail. MedCo is a lot smarter than we thought they were.”

“It is a possibility, sir,” Jarvis responded simply.

“I know. I’m usually right about these things. I’ve gotten pretty good at this, you know.” Tony sat up straight and took a deep breath, puffing out his chest before he slouched back in his chair, leaning his head back and spinning while he looked up at the ceiling. He had never been very good at sitting still. “How doesn’t she have _any_ records? That’s what I can’t figure out. I can’t even find her damn phone number.”

“That is indeed a mystery.”

“And why the hell won’t she tell me what she was doing down there? She was clearly being held against her will and was working just as hard as I was to destroy that building. I’m an ally!” Tony grimaced and side-eyed, leaning his head once again in his hand while tapping his finger against his forehead. “You’d think she’d want to help me take this company down but instead she has given me the brush off at every turn. I don’t get her. She doesn’t make sense.”

“Sir, I have a theory if you care to listen.”

“Go ahead Jarvis. I’ll listen to pretty much any advice right now that’s not Pepper’s.” Tony couldn’t figure out how to get this woman to even _flirt_ with him. Perhaps he found that more frustrating than anything. Pepper’s voice echoed in his mind, reminding him that if he perhaps treated her like an equal rather than some sort of subordinate simply because she had breasts and wonderfully long legs he would get a better response. He pushed it away again. Tony didn’t have it in him. The woman was gorgeous and he was not going to miss a single opportunity to charm her into his bed.

“Sir, if she was being held captive like you assume then perhaps she is suffering some post traumatic effects from being held in captivity for an extended period of time. Not to mention the physical damage done to her could be taking its toll.”

“What… you think she has PTSD? Come on Jarvis, you saw her… she’s… feisty that one. If anyone can handle what she went through then… it’s gotta be this chick. She’s calculating and cold whenever we start on the subject. You can’t tell me that she’s actually scared stiff.”

“That is not what I’m suggesting, sir. You were held captive yourself, don’t you recall? You didn’t want to think that it changed you but it turned your whole life around, did it not? Sometimes no matter how strong one is, trauma has an effect.”

“I guess so.” Tony pouted but knew that it was true. When he’d been held for ransom, betrayed by his long time partner Obadiah Stane Tony’s whole life had turned upside down. Every so often he still woke up in a cold sweat, the words of the man he’d been held captive with still ringing in his ears. Yinsen had saved him by hooking him up to an old car battery to keep the shrapnel from destroying his heart. He’d told him before he’d died in the caves not to waste his life. He was the man who had everything and nothing at the same time and though he’d tried to change what his life was about it hadn’t been easy and it still occasionally plagued him.

Sometimes he still had phantom pains from the attack. His hand unconsciously brushed over the arc reactor in his chest. The magnet kept the shrapnel from destroying what was left of his heart after all this time. Realizing what he was doing he put his hand immediately at his side.

“So what are you actually suggesting, Jarvis?”

“Perhaps she is afraid to trust anyone after what she has been through.”

“I guess you could be right about that. It would make sense, if nothing else.” Tony looked toward the glass door, thinking about how he could bring the wall down that the stubborn woman had put up to keep herself safe without driving her out the door since she found all his usual methods of charm irritating.

“It is a great possibility that whatever was happening in Africa had been something she is struggling to deal with and still hasn’t been able to cope with. Obviously she was in over her head and maybe… sir, it is a long shot but I’m sensing that she is wary to talk about what happened to her so soon. Perhaps all she needs is time.”

“You’re saying that she’s purposely being mean to me and distant because she’s trying to find a way to cope without needing anyone’s help. Right?” Tony grumbled in realization and scoffed, surprised that he hadn’t thought of that earlier.

“Yes, sir.”

“Why didn’t I see that?” Tony laughed a little.

“I am guessing it’s because you were distracted by other things.”

“That’s for damn sure.” Tony leaned his elbows on his knees again and then thought about his next move. If Jarvis was right and the stubborn vixen he’d saved in the desert was having a hard time coping with the damage that had been done to her body, then he would have to take a completely different approach to dealing with her.

“The last thing she’s going to want is to get into more trouble after she’d been in an explosion and shot at. Who knows what else happened to her or how long she’d been held captive… Or why she was being held captive in the first place.” Tony grimaced. All of these things remained a mystery to him and while he wanted to know the answers to a thousand questions, he now knew it wasn’t as simple as asking her and getting what he wanted and needed.

He’d have to be more creative _and_ compassionate. If anyone could sympathize with what she’d been through then it had to be him. They had something in common, Tony realized. Why he hadn’t seen the thread between them from the beginning he wasn’t sure but now that he saw it was as plain as day. He’d avoided dealing with what had happened to him in the desert by taking on the role of Iron Man and even after a large amount of time had passed, Tony still hadn’t properly dealt with the things that had happened to him.

“The first thing I wanted when I was saved by Rhodey was a cheeseburger.” Tony laughed, wondering how long it had been since Scarlett had a proper meal. Even the shower she was taking now would perhaps soften her up a bit.

“And a press conference, if I recall,” Jarvis added.

“It was more to right the wrongs my company had made. I knew I couldn’t take back what had already been done, Jarvis but I knew that I could stop it from happening again if I tried hard enough.”

“And you have done remarkably well so far, sir.”

“Sometimes I think you have more emotions than I programmed you to have, Jarvis.” Tony smirked slightly. “So what made you realize she was suffering, huh? When did you become the genius?”

“Simple observation, sir. Her hands have been trembling since she walked upstairs and her heart rate keeps spiking at odd moments. It is not caused by some medical condition that we know of so what else but fear?” Jarvis stated simply.

“Damn. I can’t believe you figured this out for me. Thanks Jarvis.” Tony, knowing now what he had to do, got up from his chair, letting it spin behind him. Snapping his fingers in the direction of his desk he headed toward the door. “Clean this up for me, will you?” Tony smirked.

“Yes, sir.”

Tony took the stairs two at a time, holding his hand up as Pepper walked past him and tried to talk to him. She had that look on her face that Tony knew meant he would not get away from her in less than five minutes and currently he had very little to say.

“Not right now, Potts, busy!” Tony rushed up the stairs, behind the waterfall display in his living room and toward the guest room. Not bothering to knock he walked into the room where he knew Scarlett would be, partially hoping to catch her at an awkward moment. Much to his disappointment, the water was still running in the bathroom so he sat down on the bed to wait for the woman to finish cleaning up.

“Jarvis, let me know when she’s finished in there,” Tony whispered, picking up the catalogues that Pepper had left for Scarlett to go through so she could pick some clothing that was more appropriately sized for her than Pepper’s borrowed dress.

“Yes sir, shall I warn her that you’re out here waiting for her in case she’s not prepared for you to be?”

“No, let her find that out on her own. It could be fun.” Tony shrugged his shoulders, flipping through the catalogues quickly which he didn’t find at all interesting until he started picturing the woman he’d essentially kidnapped in the various articles of clothing within the catalogues. “You know what? Bring up this website for me. Let’s pick out some clothes for Scarlett.”

“Yes, sir.” Tony began browsing the catalogues and ordering things in the sizes he had guessed the woman wore while he waited for her to finish cleaning herself up. He’d have to help take care of the wound on her leg anyway so he could use that as his excuse to be in her room. “While you’re at it, tell Pepper to bring my first aid stuff up here too, okay?”


	7. Was That So Hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming to a compromise is never easy, particularly when both parties are entirely too stubborn for their own good.

Finally dry and having untangled her wild curly brown hair, Scarlett slipped back into the black dress that fit her in all the wrong places. Now that she was once again comfortable in her own skin it felt even more awkward. Unfortunately there were no other options and unless she wanted to treat the Stark house like the Playboy Mansion she would just have to deal with it. The woman in the mirror looked more like the one she’d remembered but there was still something a little bit off. 

What was missing? What had changed?

Staring lost in her thoughts Scarlett couldn't see anything amiss so she turned away.

She found that people wasted far too much time on their reflections. While she took pride in her appearance she had always only done so because it had been an asset. Scarlett was sure she had to do very little to impress Tony Stark. She was pretty sure he would flirt with nearly anything with a sexual organ, so she didn't waste the effort. Towel hanging over her arm, unsure of what she should do with it in this strange house, she walked out of the bathroom to complete the next task that Pepper had laid out for her.

Tony looked up from the pile of magazines in his lap and the complex order form he’d been working on and smiled brightly. For a moment, Scarlett though he’d perhaps have some kind words for her but instead he turned back to his order form and spoke to Jarvis.

“You were right Jarvis, I underestimated her. Change the sizes.” Tony turned away from the order form as the sizes corrected themselves automatically. Mentally deflating, Scarlett rolled her eyes and tossed her wet towel at Tony. It was the very least he deserved. Making a face of distaste, Tony threw the towel onto the floor and then kicked it away from him, wiping his hands off on his pants.

“It’s lucky I got dressed before I came out of that bathroom. I didn’t expect you to be sitting here waiting for me like a puppy.”

“It’s rather _unlucky_ if you ask me.” Tony sighed dramatically, truly devastated.

“Are you really barking up this tree again?” Scarlett walked past him and looked out the window. The ocean was wild below, crashing along the cliffs. What an amazing view. She’d forgotten what it was like to see the ocean. The world was a beautiful place. She hadn't seen daylight in weeks and before that nothing but desert for years. 

“ _Barking_? Are you really comparing me to a dog? Twice in five minutes. That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Are you actually denying that you are? I thought you were making a point to be one.” Scarlett scoffed, reaching to brush her fingers over the fragile tissue on her leg that sorely needed caring for. Ever since she’d let the area air dry it’d become itchy and irritated and while she’d tried her best not to scratch at it, it had become an increasingly difficult task.

“Look, look…” Tony made an attempt to put the magazines back into the neat pile that Pepper had left them in only to watch them sliding over each other into a messy heap. Eventually giving up on straightening the pile he turned away from the bed and stood next to Scarlett in front of the window. “I think that we got off on the wrong…” Tony was interrupted by the sound of the magazines hitting the floor.

Eye twitching in annoyance, Tony didn’t turn away from the window. Scarlett on the other hand, did and walked over to the pile of magazines scattered about the floor. Kneeling down she grabbed the magazines and stacked them up neatly. Watching her out of the corner of his eye, Tony tried to see what Jarvis had mentioned in his lab.

Was she really suffering from some form of post traumatic stress? She didn’t _seem_ stressed. In fact, she seemed eerily calm. Tony tried to recall how it’d felt for him when he’d come back from Afghanistan. Was he as calm as she was? To be fair he wouldn't compare himself to most people. His composure had been remarkably astounding considering the circumstances, as far as he was concerned.

“Don’t bother, they’re just going to… slip-slide all over the damn place.” Tony tried to grab the magazines from her hands but pouted as she turned away, magazines still in hand. Scarlett placed the pile of magazines neatly on the end table near the head of the bed. The magazines stayed neatly stacked in their place.

“You were saying?”

“Of course they stay for you. Must have needed a woman’s touch or something…” Tony poked the top of the pile of the magazines suspiciously, waiting for them to slide and fall the way they’d done for him. “Oh come on, _really?_ ” He pushed at the pile and still it stayed neatly stacked on the nightstand.

“This is actually distracting you?” Scarlett mocked, resting her hand on her hip, her leg visibly trembling from the effort of standing for so long. Tony glanced back at her. He hadn't realized that he'd lost his train of thought. That happened to him quite frequently.

“Yeah, I guess it was.” Tony stretched to his full height again, half expecting the magazines to slide off of the nightstand behind him out of spite. He was slightly disappointed when they didn’t.

“You certainly have the attention span of a small animal...” Scarlett wasn’t going to let on that she was amused by how easily distracted Tony Stark seemed to be. It was a wonder he got anything done.

“Come on, to be fair that magazine thing was pretty suspect, right?” Tony laughed, pointing to the magazines accusingly.

“It wasn’t. You stacked them spine to spine, of course they’re going to slide.” Scarlett sat down on the bed. Tony watched her curiously and then reached across the bed to drag the first aid kit he’d had Pepper retrieve from his basement laboratory closer to them.

“That looks pretty painful.” Tony pointed to the burn on her leg while opening the first aid kit.

“Stop ogling my thigh, I can take care of it on my own.” Scarlett snatched the first aid kit from his grasp and pulled out the necessary items to wrap her wound with. Tony put his hands into his pockets momentarily, then removed a vial of the biochemical serum he’d formulated to counteract the chemical burns she’d received in the explosion in Africa.

“I’m only half ogling, which I think is fair considering that I’m helping you with it. It’s my reward.” Tony shook the bottle of chemicals in front of her as if to tell her she couldn’t do this without his assistance. Reaching toward him in an attempt to snatch the bottle, Scarlett glared threateningly at Tony when he pulled it out of her reach.

“Give it.” Scarlett held her palm up and pointed to it with her other hand. Her arm was sore but the pain in her thigh was distracting her from her other wounds. That had been the _only_ benefit to the wound on her thigh.

“You don’t know what you’re doing and your hands are shaking. It would be irresponsible to let you handle chemicals!” Tony grabbed her wrist and pushed her hand closer to her face so she could see the suspect trembling.

“I don’t need steady hands to wrap a wound.” Scarlett twisted her wrist out of his grip and then winced in annoyance at the stinging in her arm.

“Okay, hold on. Just hold on one second okay?” Tony, still holding the bottle securely, held up both of his middle fingers as an example of just how long she should hold on.

“Holding,” Scarlett muttered impatiently.

“I think that you and I got off on the wrong foot.” Tony immediately silenced Scarlett when she went to object by holding up those two fingers again. “I get that you’re upset with me for having essentially, as my assistant put it so eloquently, _kidnapped_ you.”

“So you’re _admitting_ that you kidnapped me?” Scarlett put her objecting hand down and tapped her good leg with annoyance, mostly to stop the trembling her hand was doing.

“Will you just _listen_ to me for a second without adding in some sassy remark? You’re as bad as I am!” Tony scolded her again then sat down on the bed next to her. Tilting his head to the side, he attempted to give her a sympathetic smile though he was unsure of how successful he was. It wasn’t like he spent most of his time trying to relate with anyone. In fact, it was generally something he never did. He just hoped he wasn’t coming off as sarcastic. 

“Fine. I’ll let you talk.”

“As I was _saying…_ ” Tony cleared his throat and straightened his back. “I know that whatever happened in Africa had to have been traumatic. I can imagine that you wouldn’t want to relive that, particularly for someone you don’t know or like very …”

“You think that I’m _traumatized_? Seriously, Stark? You shouldn’t make assumptions about what you have little to _no_ insight to! For all you know I was working for them willingly or I was doing something just as devious as they were. So maybe you should go back to being a perverted asshole instead of making assumptions about what I was doing. Stick to your strengths.”

“I’m _not_ making assumptions. That would make me an ass.” Tony pointed out, speaking over her. This had not panned out the way he had expected it to. Scarlett reached very suddenly over him to grab for the bottle of serum from his hand. He switched the serum into his left hand and held it out of her reach.

“You _are_ an ass, Stark and that was a stupid analogy. What are you: a sixteen year old girl defending your opinions?” Scarlett pulled her arms away before Tony could grab her and pull her further.

“First of all, it’s Tony and secondly I thought it was a pretty perfect analogy…” Tony, brow furrowed in concentration, held his hand up again to defend himself.

“Stop, okay?” Scarlett held both of her hands up defensively and exhaled deeply in an attempt to relieve the built up tension between them. Tony stopped as he was asked to for once, which astounded them both. He thought that admitting to the wrong he’d done would at least put her in a better mood. “You’re right. We got off on the wrong foot.” Tony looked surprised by her revelation and put his hands down. It was best to let her speak even though he had a thousand things to say that he was sure were more interesting than what she was going to lecture him with. “What happened to me in Africa wasn’t exactly what I'd signed up for. So maybe I am a little shaken. As I’ve already told you multiple times in a rather hot-headed and explicit manner I’ve always resented you and your corporation. So _this_ isn't exactly ideal either.”

“Yeah, that I gathered from the ranting. Despite what you think, I actually listen.” Tony couldn’t help but smile a little.

“When I woke up and found myself in your debt I can't say I was happy about it.” Scarlett shook her head and pushed her curly hair out of her face. Tony was hanging on her every word and Scarlett was inwardly pleased. 

“I get it. So when I offered you that job I pretty much offered you a loaded gun, didn’t I?” Tony had definitely _not_ been expecting her to bend to his will. In fact, he wasn’t sure how to react now that she was no longer fighting him. Was he supposed to comfort her? He had a feeling that would backfire. How was he supposed to comfort her without groping? 

Surely, it would be an impossible task.

“Yeah, you did. I don’t like you. I don’t like Stark Industries. While I appreciate that you didn’t leave me to die in the desert or let me writhe in misery until the chemicals slowly killed me in the hospital… it doesn’t change the fact that I know all about you and your sordid history.” Scarlett glanced at the wound on her leg and concentrated hard on not itching at it or putting some kind of soothing hand on it. It was a lot harder than she expected.

“May I?” Tony pointed to her leg. Scarlett contemplated letting him wrap the wound on her leg for an agonizing few moments. The medicine he’d put on it earlier when she’d first woken up had helped a great deal. She had no doubt that it would help again. Finally she nodded.

Tony would have to use all of his willpower to keep from finding a way to look up her dress while he performed the task. Cocking his head to the side to analyze the situation he put down the vial of chemicals, slipped his hands onto her sides and urged her so she was further back on the bed. “Can you sit sideways or something… hike the dress up above the burn but…” Tony winced, grimaced, then hung his head in disappointment as he continued on. “But try not to flash me. I _guess_. Unless you want to. Which I’d be totally okay with and wouldn’t think less of you for… in fact, I’d probably think _more_ of you.”

“I know exactly what you’d think of me. Something tells me that’s unavoidable anyway but I would prefer you not see my panties, again.”

“Did I see them once before?” Tony played innocent as Scarlett adjusted her legs so she was seated on her side and hiked the skirt of the dress up above the burn on her thigh.

“Don’t play dumb, you watched me on the cameras in your lab.” Scarlett mocked, looking down at the comforter so she didn’t have the urge to scold Tony every time he got too grabby while he was taking care of the burn on her thigh.

Realizing she was serious about letting him take care of the wound, Tony grabbed a cloth and poured some antiseptic on it then began to carefully brush it over the fragile looking flesh on her leg. Scarlett blinked several times, seeing black spots in her vision from the pain of the antiseptic stinging at her wound.

“You’re not upset about it?” Tony looked surprised, paying far more attention to her thigh than anything else. He had to remind himself every few seconds that sex was out of the question. This wasn't foreplay. It was helping. He was _helping._

At least for the time being.

“Oh, I’m livid.” Scarlett didn’t have the energy to mock him. All her remaining focus went to pain management. She'd always had an exceptionally high pain tolerance. “But, I also knew you were going to do it, so it’s not like I was unaware. You have boundary issues.”

“Well, you were kind of a bitch, so I figured…” Tony shrugged nonchalantly, applying the serum in the unlabeled bottle to the wound on her leg. Scarlett was hoping it’d make her feel better, but instead she laid her head on the bed and concentrated on not passing out or throwing up. Both seemed like incredibly difficult tasks. Why wasn’t this making her feel better like before? Why couldn't she keep it under control?

“Yeah, well can you blame me? Are you almost done?” Scarlett spoke shortly.

“Are you alright?” Tony finally let his gaze move away from her thigh as he let the chemical sit on her skin. The color drained from her face. “Hell,” He leaned over and touched her cheek. “You’re all clammy. Does it hurt that bad?” Scarlett shooed his hands away from her face and forced herself to lean on her elbow. Taking slow deep breaths she regained her composure the best she could. How embarrassing it was to be this ill in front of anyone.

“Don’t fret over me, I’m fine. It stings. That's all. I wasn’t prepared. My stomach is very unhappy. I haven't had anything really to eat since you found me. And before then the cuisine wasn't exactly the recommended calorie amount.” Scarlett grimaced, half annoyed that she was feeling ill from the mere cleaning of her wound. It had to be the lack of food. Nothing else made sense.

“Well, don’t pass out. The only passing out women do here is from satisfaction.” Tony sat back up and continued to work on her thigh, concentrating as hard as he could to finish it quickly. If she didn’t want the attention that came with feeling ill, he wouldn’t baby her. “Here…” Tony reached into the first aid kit he’d had prepared for his own wounds and pulled out a needle. “You don’t have any weird allergies right? Probably should’ve asked that earlier before I started administering medication.”

“No, I don’t need anything.” Scarlett drifted off as he stuck the needle into her skin near her wound and blinked in surprise at the fact that he’d gone ahead and done it regardless of her objections. Seeing spots in her vision once again from the sudden pain of the needle, she did her best to shake it off. Pain was not going to get the best of her.

“Painkillers. Seems only fair that you find some relief after this.” Tony tossed the needle back into the first aid kit and then started to wrap the burn.

“You don’t listen worth a damn, do you?” Scarlett was admittedly relieved that he’d administered something for the pain but wasn’t going to tell him that.

“Pepper says something like that but I’m not quite sure… Always tune her out halfway through.” Tony smiled knowingly. Scarlett rolled her eyes at him.

“You’re an ass.”

“That has already been established.” Tony finished wrapping the wound on her thigh, readjusted her skirt for her and then smacked her playfully on the backside. “All better.” Scarlett jumped. If nothing else, it had definitely snapped her out of the exhaustion she’d been threatening to give into. Sitting up straight, she quickly grabbed his wrist and narrowed her eyes at him. “Too much?”

“Far too much.” Scarlett readjusted the way she’d been seated and let go of his wrist, which Tony shook in surprise.

“For someone who looked like she was about to puke all over my bed, you sure have quite the grip.”

“Call it instinct.” Scarlett straightened her dress and narrowed her eyes. “I’m going to get you back for that.”

“But I was so incredibly well behaved!” Tony argued with a hint of a smirk on his lips. “You have to admit, I didn’t do most of the dirty things I was _thinking_ of doing, so… I should get credit, I think.”

“So you’re arguing you should be rewarded for bad behavior because you didn't give into worse behavior?”

“Yes.” Tony said without a second thought. “But come on, let me look at the other ones.” Tony grabbed for her wrist, which she twisted away again.

“No, I let you work on my leg because you had that magic serum or whatever the hell is in that bottle but I can handle the rest.” Scarlett grabbed the first aid kit before he could take it out of her reach and started to clean up the area around the graze on her arm.

“You’re no fun.” Tony smiled then sat fidgeting in place, glancing back at the magazines on the nightstand next to the bed, bewitched by how they hadn’t slid even an inch.

“So now what, Stark?” Scarlett wrapped the wound on her arm without looking up at him.

“Now what?” Tony turned his attention back to her, unsure of what she meant.

“Where do we go from here?” Scarlett finished with her arm and decided to risk the wound on her side being left as just stitches against cloth. While she was sure she would regret it later, right now she wasn’t going to offer Tony anymore sneak peeks.

“Oh. _That._ ” Tony thought about it curiously then nudged her shoulder. “Also, it’s Tony. Are you sure you don't have a concussion?”

“I’m still here, so I’m starting to wonder about that myself.” Scarlett scooted back to the edge of the bed, resting her bare feet on the floor. “So what should I do? Should I leave?” Scarlett looked at her feet, trying to portray through body language that she wasn’t ready to go. She didn’t want Tony to think she wanted to stay with him for any other reason than the desire for company. If this worked out to her advantage, he would be intrigued enough to ask her to stay as his guest.

“We don’t think about it yet.” Tony sat lost in thought. He could kick her out and send her on her way. However she was still interesting and if nothing else, Tony wanted to see how things played out. Now that they’d agreed that they were both being rotten, she’d only gotten _more_ interesting. Scarlett looked to Tony in surprise. She was beginning to think she’d chosen the wrong career; acting was clearly her strong suit. Then again, it wasn’t like it was hard to convince Tony Stark that women wanted to be in his company. 

“Then what do we think about if not that?” Scarlett seemed skeptical.

“When I was being held captive,” Tony cleared his throat, making it clear he didn’t often talk about such things, “there were many things I thought I’d miss in the beginning but wound up not missing at all.” Tony glanced away from the woman, fiddling with the bottle of chemicals so he had something to do with his hands. “Instead there was a huge laundry list of things that I _did_ miss, none of them that I expected.”

Tony didn’t bother to elaborate on what he meant by that. He couldn’t help but consider the things his companion in captivity had told him. He was the man with everything and nothing. Yinsen had told him not to waste his life and while Tony was still working to figure out what that meant, he wasn’t going to let anyone know that. Yinsen had been the most valuable companion that Tony had ever had.

He hadn’t even told Pepper about the man he’d grown so close to, the man who had essentially saved his life by hooking that car battery up to the magnet in his chest that had temporarily kept the shrapnel from reaching his heart. “So what is it you missed the most while you were being held by MedCo?” Turning his attention back to Scarlett, he tried not to look too curious. If she answered this, it would give him an answer to his suspicions. 

It would mean she had been a prisoner rather than a willing participant to MedCo’s game.

Weighing her answers carefully, Scarlett considered becoming defensive but instead decided that the best way to play her hand would be to fold, for once.

“Food.” Scarlett laughed at last. “Good food too. It’s not like the food in the places I worked was the best before that. You can’t trust a lot of the crops growing down there and the best restaurants were near the shore. I rarely got to _see_ the shore and hadn’t seen daylight for quite awhile before you found me.” Scarlett considered. Before Tony could come up with a response, she continued. “And scotch. I really missed good scotch. Hell, I even missed bad scotch. Sometimes I even missed rum.”

“Scotch? You missed liquor more than anything?” Tony seemed skeptical of this, but listened as she, surprisingly, offered an explanation. He’d found out more about her in the last ten minutes than he’d had in hours.

“There was a guard who watched over me while I was there.” Scarlett stood, the clammy feeling of illness having passed now that the painkillers kicked in. “I made a pretty big joke of it all at first and he’d taken pity on me and brought me some vodka. I think he thought I was funny.” Scarlett frowned, recalling Sergei. Why had he meant so much to her? Maybe he had been the only light in that place. Could it be that she was willing to be somewhat honest with Tony suddenly? While she wasn’t planning on revealing more than she had to, she saw no harm in telling him small details that would work in her favor.

“Vodka, huh?”

“It doesn’t matter how desperate for a drink one is, bad vodka still tastes like rubbing alcohol. Plus, I’m a scotch girl. I’m afraid I'm a bit spoiled sometimes.” Tony couldn’t help but laugh out loud joining her near the window.

“So, food and liquor? Well you happen to be in luck. I have this bottle of Highland Park 36 year I’ve been dying to crack open and trust me… if you’re looking for good scotch you’re in the right place.” Tony smirked, turning away from the beautiful ocean view to face the lovely woman who had regained her color.

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Scarlett shook her head. “Just because I was in captivity doesn’t mean I’m not picky.”

“Oh, is that a dare?” Tony took a step closer, narrowing his eyes playfully. Even when she wasn’t fighting with him he found her intriguing and was grateful to not have to be on his guard every few seconds.

“I do believe it is, Mr. Stark.” Scarlett pursed her lips, but didn’t back down. She hated that she actually found him charming. If she didn’t know a damn thing about him then he’d be exactly the type of guy she’d let pick her up in a bar. Unfortunately she knew him all too well and there was next to no ignoring what he’d done. While she found him handsome, she could live without the facial hair. She’d always been into clean cut and clean shaven men before this moment. The beard he wore was iconic though, if nothing else.

“You know what? Let’s save the Highland Park for another night and instead… make a night of this.”

“Are you threatened that I might not like the taste of your scotch, Stark?” Scarlett knew that he had to have been using all of his willpower to keep from making sexual innuendos out of everything. The way he was shifting in front of her, she could tell he was uncomfortable. It was oddly satisfying.

“Trust me, many women have tasted my scotch and they were _never_ disappointed.” Tony smirked. He couldn't resist one little innuendo. Or a few big ones. “Plus, it’s _Tony_. Please, call me Tony, that’s my name. I feel like you’re yelling at me every time you call me by my last name.” Tony pled.

“I told you, I’ll be the judge on the subject of scotch… and besides that, I enjoy watching you squirm, Stark. I’ll call you what I want to call you.” Scarlett wasn’t sure if she really was calling him Stark simply to irritate him or if she was trying to keep that gap between them so she wouldn’t form any sort of emotional bond. If she was suffering from any hint of post traumatic stress disorder, the last thing she wanted to do was succumb to the need to be comforted by someone.

“Unless you’re riding me like a wild stallion and calling me a bad boy, I don’t approve of you trying to make me squirm.” Tony held up his hands and widened his eyes playfully. “But don’t let me limit your imagination, I’m pretty much open to anything.”

“You’re gross.”

“Telling me that repeatedly isn’t really going to change much of anything. You keep giving me opportunities and I'm going to keep taking them.” Tony smirked, hoping he was sending her mind right into the gutter alongside his.

“Well, I plan on continuing to remind you that you _are_ disgusting so that those around us may be reminded that just because you’re a Stark doesn’t mean the things you say are any less reprehensible.”

“You’re going to ruin all my fun, aren’t you?” Tony wanted to see how close he could get to her before she physically pushed him away. If nothing else, it was fun to test her limits. He was like a child with a new toy, and he was going to play with it until it broke.

“Stark, I do believe you’ve gotten off track again.” Scarlett wasn’t going to back down, but if Tony got close enough she was most certainly capable of pushing him off of her. While she _willing_ to lure him into bed it was only out of absolute necessity. She was explore every avenue available first.

“That’s what you do to me see, you just… distract me and I keep getting caught up in other things…” Tony’s eyes were no longer on her face, so Scarlett snapped her fingers to get his attention.

“Up here. Focus.” Scarlett was starting to get used to fighting off the constant sexual tension he’d been trying to form between them. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something he was completely fabricating which had frustrated her. But now that she’d had time to recover and felt remarkably better thanks to the medicine he’d given her, she was handling him far more maturely and naturally.

“Oh, yes… As I was saying, let’s ditch the Highland Park for the night and make a real… outing of this, hmm? Get out of this stuffy mansion, get some drinks, get a real dinner for you…”

“I’m not going on a date with you, Stark.” Scarlett scolded immediately.

“You _owe_ me dinner for manhandling my robot, if I recall. Come on, it’s just dinner and drinks. Nothing _too_ serious.”

“Which you hope is going to lead to something else.” Scarlett rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers as she noticed his gaze wandering once again. “Up here, Stark!”

“Why? I mean appealing eyes and face and all but not as interesting…” Tony drifted then cleared his throat. “Come on, the last thing you want to do is sit here in my house and fall into a bottle! You’re bound to end up in my bed if you take that route. Really, I’m trying to _save_ you from me.”

“Right, I’m sure that’s what it is.” Scarlett contemplated the idea of going out to get something real to eat. She _was_ starving. Part of her was scared to eat and had been avoiding it. The last time she'd gone this long without food it had been a disaster. Eating had made her sick. What Tony was wrong about was what the alcohol would do to her. She _was_ worried about simply hanging about his mansion and drinking, but only because she had no food in her system to counteract the effects of the alcohol. 

Being drunk around Tony Stark wasn’t an option.

“If you want the truth, I’d prefer you having fun if I get you into bed.”

“If, being the key word. At least you finally admitted it’s not a certainty.”

“You’re hard to read… I can’t… see what’s going on in your head.” Tony looked away for a moment, rubbed his goatee and turned back to her. “It’s refreshing.”

“I’m sure it is. Regardless Stark, you’re getting off track _again_. Maybe you’re not a dog… but rather an excitable puppy.”

“That implies you think I’m cute.”

“It also implies that you piss all over the floor. So what’s your point?” Scarlett smirked playfully.

“Come on! Dinner, drinks, it’ll be nice. Maybe even some _dancing?_ ” Tony grinned and bobbed his head in a dancing motion. “It’ll be fun. I promise. One night out on the town with me and you’ll forget you even _had_ troubles.” Tony enticed, though Scarlett wasn’t sure if his dancing had in fact lured her into going with him or worked against him. Either way, she’d found it amusing. Even cute. Again, like a puppy.

Scarlett considered agreeing to go, shuffled in her bare feet, looked out the window at the ocean and then back at Tony.

“You know you want to. Come on, give in…” Tony coaxed, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Fine.” Scarlett relented. Tony was immensely pleased but before he could rejoice, she pointed an accusing finger at him. “But this _isn’t_ a date and if you even think about making a move on me Stark, then I’m going to break something very, very important to you.”

“Uh huh, uh huh.” Tony nodded his head while she spoke, talking over the very end of her statement. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I mean, I’m a perfect gentleman. I have no idea what you’re implying.”

“Your artificially intelligent computer is more chivalrous than you are.”

“I programmed him to be like me. By definition you just complimented me. So, thank you.” Tony cocked an eyebrow curiously.

“Just goes to show what a bitch free will can be.” Scarlett shook her head. “So we have a deal?”

“Yes, we have a deal. This isn’t a date and I can’t have your panties unless you throw them at me with want. I get it. Though, by definition…”

“There’s little to no chance of that ever happening, Stark.”

“By _definition,_ ” Tony cleared his throat and spoke over Scarlett, “dinner and drinks that you’re being treated to _can_ be considered a date.”

“It can also be considered payment to keep me quiet since you kidnapped me.” Scarlett continued and turned away from him, peeking around the room in hopes that Pepper had left her with some shoes she could wear out and about. 

“You also said that there was little to no chance, that’s not _no chance_ Scarlett. I think you like me. You know… secretly, deep down inside that cold, frigid heart of yours.” Tony grinned, following her and watching her as she walked.

“Don’t push me Stark. It’s a turn of phrase.”

“I don’t care. I’m taking it and running with it.” Tony shook his head.

“If we’re going out in public I need shoes.” Scarlett finally gave up on her search for heels to match her dress. “I don’t know what the hell happened to the ones I had originally but they’re not here and I don’t care if you’re a Stark and any venue will let you in no matter what your company looks like… I need _shoes_.” In a way Scarlett was searching for something normal. As much as she hated to admit it, she was overwhelmed.

“You do. We’ll stop on the way. Get you something else to wear too. No offense but that dress fits you in all the wrong ways.”

“Oh, really? You still stare at me every time I move so I think the dress must be doing me a _few_ favors.” Scarlett headed toward the bathroom, leaving the door open as she went to address her rebellious hair once again.

“With a body like that? No matter what you’re wearing there’s something to look at. Leave the hair down, it looks all… afterglow-sexy like that.” Tony cocked his head to the side, peering passed the door to the bathroom to watch the woman prepare herself to go out.

“I’ll do what I like.” Scarlett responded simply.

“I don’t know if I can let you keep it up and off your neck like that. It’s a crime to everyone around you.”

“Stark.” Scarlett said shortly without turning around.

“Okay, I get it. And it’s Tony!” Tony started toward the door, hands in his pockets again. “I’ve got to get changed anyway. I’ll have Happy and Pepper meet us later. Does that make you feel better about going out with me?”

“Oh yes, I don’t know how I would’ve possibly resisted jumping you without a chaperone.” Scarlett rolled her eyes.

“Don’t toy with me, woman.” Tony smirked. “Leave your hair down.” He whispered again.

“Go away.” Scarlett heard the bedroom door close and sighed heavily as she leaned against the counter in the bathroom. “That was better.” Scarlett nodded her head after a moment of looking at herself in the mirror. “Jarvis, I need makeup.”


	8. An Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarlett can't seem to keep it under control. What had changed within her? Little does she know that this is the beginning of a very long journey to become the woman she needs to be. Unfortunately the person she was, keeps getting in the way. Mixed with emotions, clouded by panic, Tony and Scarlett butt heads and lay their terms on the table. Despite it all, they manage to compromise. And finally, oh finally, Scarlett eats something.

A night on the town with Tony Stark would be nothing short of legendary. 

Or at least that’s what she’d been told for the last hour and a half by the man himself. Scarlett had finished getting herself ready only to be met at the door by a goofy, awkward looking man in a black suit and tie. Apparently Tony had sent him out to get her something more appropriate to wear for the night, along with a pair of heels to match whatever it was he’d chosen. Initially Scarlett had planned on rebelling against Tony’s clothing but was surprised by how tasteful the dress actually was in comparison to what she’d expected.

Unfortunately, their evening was feeling more and more like a _date_ as time crept on, which was exactly the opposite of what Scarlett had wanted. All she’d asked for was some scotch and a meal, not even an overly nice one. Why did it have to turn into some extravagant outing? If nothing else, she was relieved when she was reassured that Pepper and Happy, Tony’s driver, would be meeting up with them at the restaurant later. At least then, Scarlett would have other people to help her handle Tony’s outlandish behavior.

Dressed in the surprisingly elegant silver, shimmering dress that had a very predictable plunging neckline matched with equally startling red heels, she walked down the stairs of Stark mansion. There was no one in the living room, not even the awkward driver who had brought her clothes. Maybe Pepper and Happy had already left.

"Mr. Stark is waiting for you downstairs in his basement." 

"That's not creepy even a little." Scarlett spoke under her breath. "Thanks Jarvis." Slowly she descended the familiar floating staircase that led into Tony's basement. It felt far less cold now that she wasn't being held prisoner within its walls. Distantly she could hear Jarvis speaking in the room below, presumably warning Tony of her arrival. What had astounded Scarlett the most was that he’d given her a dress long enough to cover the entire burn on her leg. The fact that he’d considered something other than himself for more than a few seconds had boggled her mind long enough to keep her objections about the rest of the dress at bay. It was even something she might have picked out on her own.

Tony was leaning against his desk and turned to face her when she walked in, a sly smile on his face. He was pleased with himself for his choice in dress and even more pleased that she'd put it on without complaint, at least so far. He started toward one of the many cars at the far end of the room.

“Audi R8, huh?” It had been years since Scarlett had seen a luxury car in person, but she’d always kept up on the new makes and models when she had time to spare. When she was young she'd worked on cars with her father. Soon it'd just become her taking the machines apart to reassemble them. It had been her first taste of engineering. While her mother had strictly forbidden pursuit of the hobby, she’d pursued it in secret. She had been a local at every mechanic’s shop in the neighborhood, requesting to do work under the table or simply for the learning experience.

“You like it?” Tony had cleaned up rather nicely, having styled his hair and slipped into a casual pair of slacks, a colorful button up shirt and an open sports jacket that matched his slacks. Slipping on a pair of designer sunglasses, he got into the driver’s seat of the car. Scarlett got in on the passenger’s side, having half expected him to hold the door open for her with the way things were going. With any luck, maybe Tony wouldn’t treat the night out like a date as she’d expected he would.

“I do. You may be an arrogant son of a bitch, but I can’t argue with your taste in cars.” Scarlett glanced around the interior of the superbly crafted machine. “I’ve wanted one of these babies for years. Well, either that or I wanted a V12 Vanquish but seeing as they discontinued the line I’d have to settle for a different model from Aston Martin.”

“I didn’t peg you for the kind of girl who fawned over James Bond.” Tony took a fleeting look at her curiously over his glasses before turning over the engine with the push button start of the car.

“Just because I like the Vanquish doesn’t mean I have to be a Bond fan.”

“Scarlett, you practically walked out of a Bond movie. You can’t tell me you’re not a fan.”

“Does it matter, Stark? Can we _please_ just get some food? The painkillers I told you _not_ to give me are killing my stomach.”

“Right, right… You know, I’m going to break down that wall you’ve built between us. I’m gonna drive right through it and you’re gonna like the _hell_ out of me.” Tony waited for Jarvis to let him know that the garage and driveway were clear before slipping the car into gear and driving into the setting Malibu sun.

“Jarvis is in your _car_?”

“Jarvis is in pretty much everything I own.” Tony shrugged. “I pride myself in my work, thank you very much.”

“You, have pride in something you’ve done? Oh, I’m completely and totally floored by this news, Stark! Color me surprised. _Wow._ ” Rolling her eyes, Scarlett looked out the window of the car at the coastline as they drove down the extensive driveway.

“We’re seriously still playing this whole ‘Mr. Stark’ game? I bought you that nice dress and those sexy shoes and you’re _still_ going to call me that? I should’ve gotten you a latex body suit and a riding crop. Then you could call me Mr. Stark all you like.” Tony smirked, shifting the gears.

“Go ahead. I’d be happy to put you in your place.” Becoming accustomed to the constant sexual banter from the man in the driver’s seat, Scarlett didn’t even bother to turn to look at him.

“You know, we could just _skip_ dinner if that’s the case.”

“Just drive, Stark.”

“Hold on tight.” Tony rose his eyebrows comically and sped down the winding driveway and onto some deserted looking roads. It didn’t surprise her that he lived in the middle of nowhere. What with his overwhelming wealth he’d likely bought the entire cliff side simply to avoid having neighbors.

“The dress _is_ nice though.” Scarlett commented after watching the scenery pass by.

“Oh wait, what was that?” Tony perked up while he kept attention on the road. “Was that _gratitude_ I heard from the usually venomous lips of Scarlett Damien? Or was it even a compliment wrapped up in a sweet little package with some gratitude on the side? Scarlett, I’m honestly shocked. I don’t know how to react! You’re being _nice_ to me. I didn’t think you were capable.”

“I take it back. The dress is hideous and red shoes with a silver dress? Well that is just a terrible decision.” Turning back to watch Tony driving she didn’t blink an eye.

“That’s only because you don’t know how I feel about high heels.” Tony’s expression didn’t change. Scarlett couldn’t tell if he was serious or joking, but that seemed to be the overall problem with Tony’s attitude since they’d met. He was sarcastic so frequently that she could hardly tell the difference.

“I’m not sure if that was supposed to be funny or… a little sad.” Scarlett drifted off, starting to poke around the car in search of the owner’s manual.

“I guess you’re never going to know.” Tony chuckled under his breath and steered his car into the more populated areas of Malibu. Scarlett felt less and less comfortable in the passenger’s seat as the crowd of people on the sidewalks increased tenfold the further they drove. Tony pulled the car in front of a loud and boisterous looking club. Suddenly they were surrounded by socialites and twenty-something's out for a night on the town.

Scarlett didn’t realize that when Tony told her it’d be a night she wouldn’t forget that it would be a star studded evening surrounded by throngs of people who would be fighting for the billionaire’s attention. A strange buzzing noise drowned out her thoughts. It started quietly but soon became so overwhelming she couldn’t think of much else. It felt like a warning siren. It didn’t make any sense. Why was the crowd suddenly so bothersome? She’d never been intimidated by crowds before. In fact, she’d preferred them because it was far easier to make herself scarce in a crowded room than it had been in an empty one.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she knew she wouldn’t be able to hide standing next to Tony Stark in a crowded room. What sort of game was he playing? If people saw her with him, what would they assume? Would he make jokes about it? 

She wanted anonymity not publicity.

She needed it.

Tony hadn’t noticed her discomfort and had instead kept talking about the places they were driving past, much like a tour guide. He retold humorous anecdotes about things he’d done or stories he’d heard. Clearly, he’d lived a lot. When Scarlett hadn’t batted an eye when he’d started hinting at the more sexual aspect of things he’d done he decided to test the waters. She looked lost in thought and while he wasn’t worried, he was partially annoyed she might be ignoring him.

“You see that restaurant on the corner there? There’s a big private room in the basement reserved for the big money makers. Well considering I’m the biggest money maker around, they let me do whatever I want down there. I remember having a cigar party one night and well… I paid the entire staff to stay on until four in the morning. Then we had an orgy in Jell-o pudding.” When Scarlett didn’t budge in her seat he grabbed her knee to get her attention.

She snapped to face him, instantly grabbed his wrist and dug her nails into the coat of his jacket. Eyes wide, Tony didn’t try to pull his wrist away. The car in park now, he had no need for it. The valet was waiting for him to unlock the door but as far as he was concerned, the world could wait on him.

“…Scarlett?” Tony very carefully grabbed her hand with his left one and pried her fingers off of him one by one. He then set it back down on her seat and patted it awkwardly. “You weren’t listening to a word I was saying, were you?”

“What?” Scarlett hadn’t realized she’d grabbed onto him at all. She’d instead been thinking about how she was going to avoid being in the limelight for the rest of the night.

“Wow, maybe you have a concussion or something…”

“I tuned you out so I must have some sort of head injury? You must think you’re _incredibly_ interesting, Stark.” Scarlett mocked, recovering the best she could. She could only hope she sounded convincing.

“Sure, I bet it was because I’m so terribly boring.” Tony smirked then got out of the car, tossing his keys to the valet immediately. There were some surprised whispers amongst the crowd followed by screams of. Tony Stark had just joined the party and the crowd was excited as always. The valet walked around to the passenger’s side door and opened it for Scarlett. Hesitating, she got out of the car and walked around the front of it. The valet closed the door and walked back to the driver’s side to try and get more attention from Tony.

“Hey, hey buddy…” Tony held his fist out the valet. “Pound it.” Momentarily startled that Tony Stark was addressing him, the valet hesitated then did as he was asked. Tony grabbed his hand afterward and slipped him some cash for a tip. “Don’t take a joyride in my car, okay? Any other night I’d say go for it but. Be good to her tonight.”

Scarlett walked around to meet Tony finally, but was partially relieved when he’d been distracted by the people surrounding him. He was mingling and talking with his admirers as much as he could. He tried his best to shake every hand and answer every question. Scarlett had long since tuned the sound of his voice out and opted to instead watch his lips move. People were asking her questions she couldn’t ignore, about what she was doing with Tony, about who she was. No matter what was happening around her could she only think of one thing. 

This was exactly the opposite of what she’d needed.

The sounds of laughter echoed all around Tony while he amused his fans. Slipping the sunglasses off of his face he tucked them into his coat pocket and then held up his hands in a boisterous manner. “First round is on me! Come on, everyone get inside. I came here to drink and eat and have a damn good time. While the sidewalk would not be a first for me… I think I’d much prefer my food on a clean table.” The crowd cheered loudly, several people patting Tony on the back in thanks and greeting.

Scarlett on the other hand, had used the distraction to her advantage and crept through the crowd. She brushed off someone who attempted to ask her if she was alright or needed to use the restroom and practically ran down the street. For a moment, she wondered if she looked ill. Taking to shoving at shoulders to get through the stubborn crowd, she hurried down the sidewalk and around the nearest corner, and into an alleyway between the club and another restaurant on the same block.

Tony was on his way into the club when he turned to make sure that Scarlett was following him and enjoying his hype as much as he was. Instead he found her gone. The bouncer asked him if he’d forgotten something in his car, but Tony shook his head.

“Start a tab for me, one round for each please, don’t go crazy…” The notion of paying for all the people inside the popular and now very loud club was already insane, but the bouncer nodded his head to assure him he would follow orders. Tony watched people enter the club, though several women had stayed outside to greet him in hopes of getting his attention for more than just a drink or two.

“Hey Tony… We’re up for a good time if you are.” A tall red headed woman wrapped her arm around her shorter blond friend, blocking Tony’s path. Stopping to consider this proposal, Tony put a hand on both women’s shoulders and looked at them seriously.

“Wow, really very nice and all. You know what?” Tony peered past the women in search of Scarlett but didn’t see any sign of her. While it was very tempting to let the woman slip away in favor of enjoying his night with these people who welcomed him with open arms, he had gotten past the days of bringing strangers into his bed. Besides, he wasn’t aiming to _only_ lure Scarlett to sleep with him. He had a lot more riding on her becoming comfortable around him than a good time. “Go inside the club. I’ll meet up with you later. I’ve got something to do first.”

“Don’t keep us waiting for too long.” The blond blew him a kiss and while Tony gave each girl a flirty smile and a wink, he was racking his brain with ideas of where Scarlett had gone. Was it her plan all along to get out somewhere in public with him to give him the slip? Had she encouraged him to trust her only to deceive him and take his kindness for granted? Furious, he marched down the sidewalk and continued his search.

“Damnit…” Cursing under his breath he took to a run but stopped very suddenly when he realized someone was in the alleyway. 

There was no way it could be that easy. Cautiously he turned into the alleyway. It could just be couples sneaking away for privacy. But it wasn't. Scarlett was leaning against the wall next to the trashcan, which looked rather odd since she was now wearing a _very_ expensive dress. Unsure of why she was hiding in the alley, he approached her carefully. Cracking his neck, he wiped his hand over his perfectly manicured goatee and contemplated his words wisely.

“Don’t start with me, Stark. I’m not in the mood.” Scarlett held up her hand, threatening him with unseen consequences. Somehow she knew he was about to scold her. Her hand was visibly shaking and she seemed out of breath.

“What did you think you were going to do, huh? Get me to spend some money on you then run out without giving me anything in return? Not even a thank you?” For once, Tony wasn’t referring to only sex.

“I didn’t realize this meal was conditional.”

“Oh come on, you’ve been manipulating me from the very start, haven’t you? I finally start having some fun and you run away! Terrible choice of hiding places by the way. How much more obvious could you get?” Tony wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“I did not come out with you tonight to be your arm candy! I didn't come to watch you show off. I came out to get food because I haven't eaten in god knows how long! Scotch just sweetened the deal. This was all you. The dress, the shoes. I would've eaten a bowl of fucking ramen if it was just me.”

“Enough with the dumb act, Scarlett. I’m not buying it.” Tony slammed his left hand against the wall next to her head and narrowed his eyes at her dangerously. “You know damn well what I'm like and I only warned you about thirty times what going out with me would be like. You seemed _intrigued_ by the notion of getting so fucked out your head that you couldn’t think anymore! Don’t play it like I’ve deceived you! I didn't trick you into coming out with me.”

“So now I’m dumb? I told you before we left the house that this is _not_ a date and I am not some bimbo that you’re going to flaunt! Unlike you, I don’t like to make a spectacle of myself in public!”

“You’re a goddamned liar.” Tony turned from her and rubbed his hand over his goatee again, which was very quickly becoming a nervous habit in the presence of the stubborn woman. 

“I told you what I wanted before we left and now all I want to do is to vomit all over _your_ shoes! You act like I’ve been lying to you!” Scarlett practically growled, leaning her head back against the wall of the alleyway. Closing her eyes she forced her surroundings to stop spinning in front of her. There was a very long string of curses happening in her mind at the moment. Her chest was aching, her head pounding. Something was very wrong. Whether the anxiety was a side effect of the medicine or just an after effect of what had happened to her in Africa, she didn’t care. She wanted it gone. The progress she’d thought she’d made with Tony in his mansion had clearly not been nearly as fantastic as she’d told herself it’d been. He was still incredibly suspicious of her.

In fact, now it seemed like he was trying to use her in the same way that she was trying to use him: _for information_. 

Why would he need information if he was behind what had happened to her in Africa? Once again, Scarlett damned and cursed the doubts out of her mind. Then she focused on forcing the nausea that had crept into the back of her throat back into the pit of her stomach. If she didn’t get food in her system soon she really _would_ throw up on Tony’s shoes. And possibly pass out.

Still unsure how to recover from his fit of anger, Tony began pacing the alleyway and contemplating having to wash vomit off of his shoes. Then, he realized what had been pretty obvious in the first place; he just hadn’t been looking for it. Turning to glance at the woman leaning against the wall, he kicked himself. She was _uncomfortable_ in front of the crowd he’d stirred up. She hadn’t been trying to sneak away from _him_ at all. 

Why hadn’t he seen it?

He'd been too busy showing off, that's why.

Recalling how it’d felt when he’d called the press conference to announce that his company would no longer be producing weapons, Tony had barely been able to handle the nerves in his stomach. It had taken all of his willpower to keep his composure after what he’d been through and while it was something he hadn’t admitted to anyone since then, he knew exactly what Scarlett was going through. He hadn’t considered the sort of anxiety she’d be suffering if brought to such an intense place. 

This, of course, was the perfect chance for Tony to mock Scarlett for being afraid of a small crowd and a night out on the town. He recalled when he'd startled her in the car. What else was Scarlett capable of? He definitely didn't want her grabbing anything important like _that_. Deciding that making fun of her was probably not in either of their best interests he saved it in the back of his mind for when she was feeling less vulnerable.

“This place is overrated.” Tony shoved his hands in his pants pockets after flipping the corners of his jacket out of the way. Scarlett turned her attention to him with a skeptical look. Why was he suddenly so calm? He still seemed rather bothered so it didn't make much sense. Usually she would have fought him. Unfortunately that part of her seemed to be broken. Scarlett couldn't make sense of her own thoughts. What else would be different now? That very idea only worsened her racing thoughts.

“ _What?_ ”

“Really, I mean… it’s popular and it’ll get the attention of all the right people but as far as I’m concerned, I am the _only_ right people so… let’s do something a little more low key.” Scarlett was about to object and tell him not to baby her but he continued talking over her, making a point to refuse her objections. “You can’t talk me out of it Scarlett. I know you want to party and such but I’m not feeling it tonight. I know a much better place. Besides, the scotch is always flowing there and it’s _way_ better quality.” Tony turned away from her and nodded toward the sidewalk, hands still in his pockets. Completely surprised and unsure of how to respond, Scarlett felt almost angry that he was taking _pity_ on her.

It still hadn’t changed the fact that he was manipulating her as severely as she was trying to manipulate him. Trust had become the biggest issue between the two of them, and while she was sure there was never a chance that Tony Stark would be worthy of her trust, she could at least pretend it meant something to her. Weren’t most women bothered by the idea of trusting the people they were getting close to? Scarlett had never been the type to trust anyone completely, so it had never been of serious importance to her.

“Just like that, Stark?” Stepping away from the wall, she folded her arms over her chest and did her best to look defensive.

“Just like _what?_ ” Tony turned his gaze to the side, just enough to catch her in it.

“You go from calling me an idiot and a liar, to trying to get me to go somewhere quieter with you? Is that how fast you can switch gears? Or are you simply desperate to keep me around?” Scarlett walked in front of Tony, feeling the panicking grip on her chest finally relenting and allowing her breathing to even out.

“I’m _never_ desperate.”

“You’re the liar here, Stark. You’re a joke and I’m not laughing anymore. This isn’t a game to me.”

“You knew what I wanted from the beginning. I told you that, didn’t I? I need information about what you were doing in Africa and I’m going to keep asking for it.” Tony did his best to keep from sounding upset. The rage he’d expressed only moments prior was still hanging on the edge of his tongue. He knew he would lose control if he started fighting with Scarlett again so soon. It was unlike him to get so angry but she somehow managed to press all his buttons.

“I’m _done_ playing games with you. I’m done joking around, and I’m done catering to your whims.”

“ _Catering to my whims?_ I think that’s exactly the opposite of what’s been going on here from the very beginning.” Brow furrowed, Tony argued under his breath, making a fist in his pocket.

“Goodbye Stark, I can’t trust you and you can’t trust me. We’ve both made that pretty clear.” Scarlett knew walking away would be a bold move. He’d overreacted when she’d sought refuge from the bright lights and loud noises in the alleyway. How would he react when she deliberately left? Walking away from the sound of the club and around the opposite corner, she slowed her walk and gave him a chance to catch up to her.

Despite how she’d managed to formulate a plan to have him chase her in her mind, she mentally confessed that she’d wanted a few moments to think as well. What had happened to her when she’d gone into the crowd? She’d never had a hard time handling people before. As a matter of fact she’d always been a bit of a show stealer. There hadn’t even been _that_ many people. Was it the way they’d crowded around her so quickly to ask her a thousand questions she hadn’t been prepared for that had thrown her so off guard?

Why _hadn’t_ she been prepared for them? Tony had been right about one thing, if nothing else. She knew exactly what she’d been getting into when Tony offered for them to go out on the town and yet when faced with the reality of the situation she froze. What was happening in her mind against her will was _not_ conducive to what she was hoping to accomplish. For the first time in her life she felt very _bad_ at her job.

If she wanted to get anything done the right way she would have to get a grip on her new reality. Was she losing her mind? It didn’t feel like insanity. She had to admit, she didn’t at all like how it felt when her mind wasn’t completely in her control.

“Hey,” Tony’s voice called to her from a few feet behind her. Scarlett hadn’t realized she’d stopped walking but she had. Cursing under her breath that she was losing her acute awareness, she turned to look at Tony. While she was none too surprised that he’d followed her, she did her best convey an initial look of surprise.

“What do you want?” After feigning shock, she did her best to look annoyed by his continued presence, resting a hand in irritation on her hip.

“Well you just sort of stomped out of there. I didn’t really get to say my piece.” Tony approached her cautiously. It had taken him a moment to decide on whether or not to follow her. He could’ve simply let her go and have been done with her but there was that nagging voice that reminded him he needed the information locked away in her mind. Then of course there was the intrigue. She was like a puzzle he wanted to find the missing pieces for. 

“If you want to be reimbursed for this stupid dress and the heels then I’ll send you a check for them later. It shouldn’t be too hard to find the address. I’ll just look up ‘big arrogant dick’ on the internet.” Scarlett glanced away, avoiding looking at him the best she could. He’d followed her faster than she thought he would. Leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket, the other wiping nonchalantly at his face, he shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s not why I followed you.”

“Then why?”

“To keep you from walking off and doing something you’ll regret.”

“I’m pretty sure everything I’ve done in regards to _you_ has been regretful.” Scarlett scoffed, shifting in her heels and doing her best to look uncomfortable, which at the moment wasn’t all that far removed from how she actually felt.

“Don’t leave.” Tony was tired of dancing around what he was actually trying to say. It was obvious to him that Scarlett was just as tired of it.

“Why shouldn’t I?” Scarlett immediately responded. “The only reason you want me to stick around is to either tell you what happened in Africa which is so incredibly important to you for whatever reason you’re not entirely being honest about and of course, there’s the prospect of some kind of angry sex you keep envisioning us having. Neither one of those things seems appealing to me.”

“I offered you a job too, didn’t I?”

“Simply to keep me around for the reasons I listed just about ten seconds ago in case you tuned them out.”

“No, I offered you a job to give you incentive to stay. Yes, I do want those things from you but that’s not the reason I’m asking you now.”

“Oh yeah, then why _are_ you asking me to stay, Stark?” Scarlett took a step toward him, curious. While she’d claimed she wasn’t playing a game with him, she definitely thought she was winning. Sort of. She was very confused.

“You’re really going to make me admit it, huh?” Tony smirked and then held up a finger in objection. “And it’s Tony.”

“You’re going to have to get over the first name thing, Stark.” Scarlett leaned against the wall, resting her head against it to mimic the way he was leaning. While her head was pounding from stress and lack of food, she wanted to remain as convincing as possible. “And yes, I’m going to make you admit it. You just cornered me in an alleyway and called me a liar, a cheat, and a brat so… I think I deserve some sort of an honest explanation.”

“Fine… fine that’s fair.” Renewing his smug smile, he continued on. “I want you to stick around because well, I’m not bored when you’re around. You have _no_ idea how bored I usually am.” Smile still on his face, he chuckled under his breath. “Is that reason enough, Scarlett?”

“Why are you being so nice?” Scarlett continued to be defensive. It wouldn’t make sense for her to drop her guard now. Unfortunately, it would take her more work than she’d anticipated to crawl as far into his head as she wanted to be before she made her strike. The good news was that she was definitely still ahead of the game.

“Call it the lack of alcohol.” Tony stepped away from the wall, both hands in his pockets again to keep from fidgeting. “Or maybe I’m a nice guy, take your pick. Whatever you choose to believe.”

“Well it can’t be _that_.” Scarlett smiled a little then continued. “I guess we better get some alcohol in your system before you turn into a teddy bear.”

“Does that mean you’re sticking around?” Tony smirked, walking toward the curb, holding his hand out as a yellow cab drove past. The car pulled up to the curb. Holding open the door to the cab, he turned back to Scarlett expectantly.

“I guess for now. We can see how dinner goes.”

“You know that job offer is still on the table.” Tony spoke then leaned his head inside the cab door to give the driver an address and tell him to hold on a moment while he convinced Scarlett to get into the car with him.

“Don’t push it Stark, I still don’t want to work for you.” Scarlett walked toward the cab but stopped as she got to the door, holding onto it and standing closer to Tony than she’d dared to at this point. “I thought we _drove_ here, why are we taking a cab?”

“I don’t feel like driving anymore.” Tony shrugged, not bothering to get into the cab quite yet. “I’ll have Happy let Pepper drive the car back home.”

“It’s your car, so if that’s what you want. Come on, get into the cab, I’m starving. I really _will_ throw up on your shoes if you don’t get me some food soon.”

“Fine, fine…” Tony laughed and got into the back of the cab, followed by Scarlett. With a screech of tires, the cab joined the other cars on the busy street.

“So where are we going now? I don’t feel the club scene right now. Particularly when I’m bandaged in three different places, that is.” Scarlett watched as they passed the boisterous club that had given her such a terrible panic attack.

“I didn’t think of that.” Tony chuckled. “Sorry, but I didn’t picture the wounds, considering they’re so beautifully hidden.”

“Yeah, well this dress is rather convincing.” Scarlett pointed to the edge of the gauze sticking out the bottom of her skirt from the way she was seated.

“It is, and I’ve got much better things to focus on than the gauze on your arm.” Tony smirked, not bothering to answer her initial question.

“So, is this place a mystery? Are you going to take me out back and try to kill me?” Watching the scenery outside her window put Scarlett at ease. The anxiety was finally fading, leaving Scarlett with a sense of completion. Despite the panic that had bubbled inside of her momentarily she’d managed to make it work to her advantage.

“Trust me, if I’m taking you out back that’s not the kind of killing I’m plan on doing.”

“You know, you keep talking about your sexual prowess I’m almost positive that if I gave in you’d be disappointing.” Pursing her lips and doing her best to hide a smile, Scarlett turned to face him.

“We could test that theory. Or you could just ask all the women who’ve walked out of my house completely satisfied.” Tony shrugged his shoulders. “I’m far beyond my reputation but I suppose you’ll never know unless you finally admit you like me.”

“Good luck, Stark.” Scarlett continued. “Now tell me more about that Jell-o pudding orgy you’d mentioned on the way over.”

“Oh, so you weren’t ignoring me…” The two chattered about nonsense while the cab continued onward. The drive ended quickly, the yellow car pulling up to the curb in front of a far more formal looking restaurant. Tony got out of the car and held the door open for Scarlett to follow after him. 

“Don’t pretend to be a gentleman now.”

“I have to work back into your good graces somehow.” Tony was well aware how he’d crossed a lot of lines in the alleyway and while he wouldn’t be caught dead admitting it, he was feeling rather guilty for having jumped down her throat.

“Kissing my ass? I had no idea you were capable of such a thing.”

“If I _have_ to kiss someone’s ass, then I’d prefer it’d be yours.” Tony paid the cab driver then closed the door before he could start asking questions about who he was.

“I once again renew my objection to how gross you are.” Scarlett couldn’t help but be amused.

“And yet you’re smiling. What does that say about you?” Tony walked past her, and to the door of the restaurant which was opened for them by the concierge.

“Mr. Stark, what a surprise!” A man in a neat three piece suit walked over to Tony and offered his hand to shake. Scarlett, with a hand on her hip, did her best not to let on how sore her leg was from the effort of walking in such high heels with a severe injury. It was nothing more than a bother, she wouldn’t let on that it was irritating her. Besides, it was good practice. She'd been unable to stomach her pain the way she used to since she woke up.

Tuning out Tony’s conversation with who was apparently the owner of the restaurant, Scarlett observed this new, far quieter establishment. It was much easier to relax when the only other people around them were people hoping for a quiet night on the town.

Unfortunately, quiet restaurants also meant that every other group in the joint was there for a romantic night. Scarlett was not into the romantic date scene, at least not with Tony Stark. Now that she’d actually thought about it, the last romantic date she’d gone out on had been with Scott and it had been the most painful two hours of her life. In fact, she wasn’t sure stuffy restaurants such as this could be fun without at least two bottles of wine.

“This way, please.” The owner bowed his head politely, and then led them along a winding path through the tables. “I’ve got the back room free, Mr. Stark if you prefer.”

“Please, it’s Tony and yes that’d be great.” Tony offered his arm to Scarlett who merely looked at it like it was offending her then walked past it. Mentally deflating, Tony collected himself then continued behind her as they followed the owner of the restaurant to the back of the building and into a room where they must have held private parties.

“Who is your lady friend tonight?”

“His lady friend is named Scarlett and she is _not_ his lady friend but rather starving and desperate.” Scarlett sat down on a dark red plush couch at the far end of the room, relieved to be off of her feet. The owner of the restaurant chuckled at her response.

“Yeah, what she said.” Tony smirked then shook the owner’s hand again. “Thanks… Hey could you bring us a bottle of your finest scotch? On the rocks please.” Tony looked over to Scarlett as if to ask her if she preferred hers the same way.

“Yeah, I like my scotch with one ice cube. Just one.” Scarlett nodded her head and crossed her legs carefully. Beneath the gauze was tenderly throbbing.

"I’ll have it out right away along with some bread and oil.” The owner of the restaurant pointed to Scarlett and smirked. “I like this one, Tony she’s feisty.”

“Oh you have no idea, my friend.” Patting the owner on the shoulder, Tony walked past him and sat on the couch next to Scarlett, resting his elbows on his knees casually.

“I like this place.” After observing her surroundings, Scarlett decided while this restaurant was far more boring than the club would’ve been it was just what her nerves needed as long as Tony wasn’t going to make some pathetic attempts at romance.

“It’s alright. I mean,” waving his hands around while he spoke he continued, “I’m going to have to work a lot harder here to get you to dance provocatively and make terrible decisions with so few people around, but I’ve made miracles happen before.” Scarlett actually laughed at this joke.

“If we’d made it into that club I would’ve danced with every guy _except_ for you simply to prove a point.”

“Ouch.” Tony couldn’t help but laugh. “So what is this, huh? You just want to take my ego out completely? I warn you, this took years of getting everything I wanted whenever I wanted and you’re destined to lose.”

“You are not the only master of broken hearts in this room, Stark.” Scarlett smirked, then thanked the waiter who came back to bring them each a glass with a few chunks of ice in them and a glass bottle of imported scotch. She pulled the excess ice from her glass and placed it on one of the nearby plates. “I have never been so incredibly excited to get drunk in my life.”

“Please, drink away.” Tony grinned, picking up the bottle and pulling the glass cork out of it. “Here…” He held the bottle close to her so she could take a smell of the earthen scented beverage. Closing her eyes, Scarlett enjoyed it momentarily and then nodded to her glass.

“Any day I’d be raving about how amazing that smells but right now I just need to see how amazing it tastes.” Scarlett pointed to her glass a second time. Tony complied and poured them each a half glass of scotch. Setting down the bottle he picked up his glass to propose a toast only to find that Scarlett was two steps ahead of him, drinking her scotch.

“To compromise, I suppose.” Tony laughed then took a drink of his scotch.

“God that’s good.” Scarlett chuckled and then set down her glass when the waiter came over to them to read the specials and take their order. He placed down a basket of bread, poured some oil on top of spiced and balsamic vinegar. She picked up the bread and ate a small corner of it to test the waters. Now that she’d tasted the scotch and remembered how good something could be, Scarlett knew exactly what she needed to eat. Placing an order for a rib eye steak with a side of veggies and potatoes, she nursed her scotch once again. It was hard to remember to take it slow. She’d be drunk before she could get her food if she drank at the pace her tongue wanted her to. Tony followed her lead and ordered a steak of his own, but with potatoes and a side of pasta. She continued on the bread. Even if she couldn't eat her full meal, at least she'd have something in her stomach. Her only worry was that she would get very sick and not from the alcohol. She could have been wrong but she thought Tony was thinking the same thing.

“So, let’s talk about you staying for awhile and the job I offered you.” Tony set down his glass of scotch and turned to sit sideways on the couch, one foot on the floor.

“If you insist.” Scarlett sighed and leaned her elbow on the back of the couch, supporting her head in her hand. “I’m never going to work for you, Stark.”

“It’s Tony, and why not?” Instead of listing off the three thousand reasons he thought it was a good idea, he instead chose to let _her_ talk. No matter what he did, he heard Pepper nagging in the back of his mind that he’d approached this woman the wrong way. 

“Oh wow, you’re actually interested in the reason?” Scarlett seemed surprised, but was glad that he wasn’t trying to turn this into a romantic endeavor. Perhaps she’d even end up having a good time after all.

“Yes, as long as you promise not to start ranting about all the reasons you hate me, that is.” Tony smirked, picking his drink up to take another sip of it, but never taking his honey brown eyes away from Scarlett.

“I’ve spent years working for companies that I despise.” Scarlett considered her words carefully. “I stopped doing that for years after a bad experience. I worked on my own terms… until MedCo offered me a job.” Tony didn’t speak. He had, of course, a thousand snarky responses, but if she was going to reveal something about what had happened in Africa he wasn’t going to interrupt. Instead, he took a drink of his scotch and held the liquid in his mouth to keep any remarks he came up with at bay. Impulse was one of his biggest downfalls in these sorts of situations. “I don’t like Stark Industries and I’m not particularly fond of its CEO either so I’m going to have to decline working for you. Despite how you think it’s such an amazing opportunity. I follow my instincts from now on. I'm not making the same mistake twice.”

“What if you worked _with_ me instead of for me?” Tony spat out before he lost the nerve. It felt oddly calming to actually make the offer he’d been milling over rather than spending hours trying to talk her into something that she was so incredibly against. “You’d be a partner on the project, not an employee of my company. Your name would go right next to mine where credit is due. You wouldn’t have to work for me.” Scarlett was truly taken aback by the offer. Was he seriously offering her a partnership? Her surprise was written all over her face. “Really? You’re that shocked that I can compromise?”

“Absolutely.” Scarlett scoffed then leaned so she was facing forward on the couch again. Picking up her scotch she toyed with the idea of working alongside Tony Stark. It wasn’t nearly as obnoxious an offer now that she wasn’t required to be his subordinate. She chewed on a third piece of bread. As hungry as she had been, eating was making her nauseous. Still, she forced it down.

“Haven’t I proven that I’m a decent guy yet?”

“Not really.” Scarlett held up her hand to stop him from arguing with her on the subject for the thousandth time. “I have to think about the offer for the night, okay? I’m just not sure about my answer.”

“What’s there to think about, Scarlett? This is the offer of a lifetime. How many people have had their name _next_ to mine on a project? None! None. I don’t work _with_ anyone. People work _for_ me not with me.”

“Stark, calm down.” Scarlett turned her attention to the bottle of scotch, refilling Tony’s glass and her own before continuing. She was playing this game better than she thought she’d be able to. Was she a natural? Was it even an act anymore? It was becoming hard to tell. Why was she enjoying their back and forth so damn much? Maybe it wasn't an act at all. “Working with you is trouble for me, so I have to think about it.”

“Why is it trouble?” Tony held out his glass to be refilled and then took another long drink of it, ready for another speech about how much she hated his company. Instead, what he heard was far more intriguing.

“Because, I don’t find you boring either."


	9. Dessert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Double Update. I'll get back to updating this weekly now that summer is over and things are hopefully going to get into the swing of some kind of a rhythm for me. November might be crazy though... since it's NaNo!

The food served to them was impeccable in both appearance and taste. Though Scarlett wasn’t sure if she thought so simply because she’d been without a decent meal for so damn long thanks to MedCo or if it was because the food was genuinely as decadent as she was imagining it was. Scarlett had never been terribly picky about her food in the first place, as long as the alcohol was decent. 

Tony seemed to be enjoying his meal without complaint and while she wasn’t exactly sure just how picky he was about his cuisine, she was sure he wasn’t the type to eat a subpar meal considering his upbringing. Much to her surprise he hadn’t attacked her with innuendos when she’d told him her reason for not being sure she would be able to work with him. 

In fact, he seemed to become considerably more comfortable and relaxed around her ever since she’d admitted it. Had his incessant flirting and joking all been an attempt to ease the tension and nerves he’d felt when interacting with a new person? Particularly when that person was challenging every one of his ideals. Or was it even conceivably to make things more interesting for him so that he wouldn’t be bored? She was wondering if Tony finally found her interesting enough to not have to create his own drama to entertain himself.

Then again, there could be just as much brewing underneath his otherwise calm demeanor as there was underneath Scarlett’s. Her mind was in a thousand different places outside of the current situation, despite how hard she was trying to keep it focused on merely becoming Tony’s false friend.

“So, you would think that I’d be invited to all the best Hollywood shindigs, right? I mean all the big glamorous events…,” Tony cleared his throat, ready to start his next anecdote. The two had spent their time eating exchanging humorous stories back and forth. Scarlett, up to that point, had been falsifying stories about herself since she’d been unsure if she should share some of her truths with Tony. Now that she had some food in her stomach and a more level mindset she was beginning to feel comfortable enough to reveal some very small, but sincere tales, about who she really was and the life she’d led.

“Well, I kind of assumed you went to all those celebrity gatherings. The ladies likely adore seeing Tony Stark in the crowd or on a stage. Let’s face it, you’re a ham when it comes to popularity.”

“No, no… Well, okay yeah, the ladies definitely do enjoy when I show up with my unbelievable swagger, but believe it or not I have to crash most of the official parties. I don’t get invited very often.” Smirking and taking a sip of his glass of scotch he then waved his hand boisterously as he continued. Scarlett grabbed his wrist and stopped him, watching the glass dangerously threaten to pour scotch all over her dress.

“You’re going to spill on me if you keep flailing around like that.”

“Hey, I’m really good at holding my liquor in more ways than one. I’ve got this, keep your panties on… or don’t. Either way, I’m not going to spill on you. Unless you let me. That could be hot.” Tony laughed and tugged his wrist away, from hers an artfully making sure the amber liquid never spilled over the top of his glass. “I am a _master_ of gesticulation.”

“Amongst other things, I’m sure.”

“Touché,” Chuckling, he leaned forward and set his glass down on the table next to his finished dinner plate. “Are you happy now? I’ve got the glass on the table so I can’t spill it all over you with my _apparently_ wild arm movements.” Picking up the exquisite bottle of scotch, he refilled his glass as well as hers. Now that she’d gotten some decent food in her system she wasn’t terribly worried about her alcohol consumption becoming too severe. Scarlett knew it almost certainly wasn’t the most brilliant of ideas to seek refuge within the bottle of earthen liquid, her stress, anxiety and troubles simply melted away the more she drank. Cathartic was the only word she could think to use in regards to the feeling it left her with. The only thing she could think to explain the relief brought on by the alcohol was because of how badly she clung to the idea of having a glass of it after escaping captivity.

“Yes, I do love scotch, Stark but I prefer drinking it, not wearing it. Though I must admit, that would be quite the fashion statement.” Shifting in place, Scarlett slid her legs onto the couch and tucked them beneath her while she waited for Tony to continue with what she was sure would be a humorous story.

“But as I was saying before someone got all vain about the dress I bought them,” Tony teased. “Honestly, the Hollywood bigwigs used to invite me to every damn event. Hell, I turned down half of them because of work or how damn boring I thought it was. I can’t tell you how many I’ve been invited to, that’s a question for Pepper. But I’d announce at nearly all the form award ceremonies despite how irrelevant it was for me to be attending them. Mostly I liked to flaunt that I could be there. You know, I can feed _any_ line to _any_ crowd on _any_ subject and they’ll think I’m being clever or witty. I could be a complete dick and people would just think I’m being glib.”

“Because for whatever reason, even though you’re one of the most arrogant assholes I’ve ever met in my life, there’s just something endearing about you. You’re really hard to hate. I’m putting in a good effort though.”

“Aw, you like me,” Tony smirked and shook his head.

“Don’t flatter yourself, I was simply agreeing with your statement and making an observation.”

“Sure, Scarlett that’s what it was… Deny it all you want but I can see that cold exterior melting away.” Tony reached over gave her knee a squeeze, only to be shooed away by Scarlett. Taking another sip of her scotch she looked at him expectantly, prompting him to finish his story. “Right, I was talking wasn’t I? Stop being so damn distracting.”

“ _I’m_ being distracting? Look, I could be doing absolutely nothing and you would still have interrupted this story twenty seven times. You clearly have some terrible sort of Attention Deficit Disorder.”

“I’m not ADD I’m simply…eccentric.”

“Eccentric is rich people code for out of your fucking mind.” Laughing, Scarlett nursed her scotch again, swirling her glass and listening to the clink of the ice cubes against it. Somehow, the sound was soothing.

“Like I said, I’m eccentric. I wasn’t denying that was what it meant.” Tony sneered, leaning closer to the woman with his eyes narrowed. “As I was saying before you continuously interrupted me, I used to be invited to all those things until one year at the Oscars… God, that was a nightmare for my publicist. It was fun and all, but a nightmare. Incredibly boring if I might add.” Chuckling, he leaned against the back of the couch, slumping lazily and rubbing his hand over his goatee habitually. Pursing his lips, he continued. “I was announcing for best cinematography or… you know whatever it’s called. I clearly didn’t care all that much.”

“Clearly, since you can’t even recall what you were announcing for at the time.” Scarlett laughed quietly, watching him in amusement.

“What I do recall is that I was announcing with the lovely Salma Hayek, that’s for sure…” Tony grinned, pleased when Scarlett once again rolled her eyes.

“I think if you give anything a nice pair of breasts, you’d remember all the details pretty easily.”

“That’s not true at all, Scarlett! You underestimate me, I think. I mean, breasts are nice and all but I’m more of an ass man. And long sexy legs… both of which you’re representing rather nicely tonight in that dress I bought for you, I might add. I mean, not that I’m saying you’re not representing for your breasts, they look rather lovely too.” Continuing to ramble, Tony pointed to the respective body parts, as though Scarlett couldn’t find them on her own.

“Stark, honestly… will you ever finish this story? And my eyes are so not where you’re looking right now.” Scarlett widened her own eyes in awe that he’d gotten so amazingly off topic for about the third time since he’d been trying to tell the same story.

“I blame this on you, you do realize that.”

“If I take the blame for it would you please, for the love of god, finish your story?”

“I’ll consider it.” Grinning from ear to ear, Tony couldn’t help but be amused by the way the conversation had turned. It wasn’t that he had a hard time staying on task constantly. When he needed to, he could be completely focused and driven to one solid goal. But there was something about this woman who had become his companion for the night that was driving his thoughts wild. Between what he wanted to get from her, being ultimately the information about MedCo, the sexual drive that had been renewed since her arrival, wanting to learn the mystery behind her sparkling blue eyes, and the things his assistant had warned him about in regards to Scarlett, he simply had a hard time keeping it all juggling around in his mind.

“So, I was terribly bored… as I often get in case you haven’t realized this yet. It’s hard to keep interested in something so monotonous like the Oscars. Not that I think movies are boring, not at all… I simply have a hard time sitting still for ten minutes to listen to other people talk about something I’m not involved in, nonetheless for two or more hours.”

“I can relate to that. I haven’t seen a movie since… Well let’s just say it’s been a long time. Watching those award shows is essentially out of the question for me.” Scarlett nodded to agree. Her mind had often rebelled when things became too monotonous or simplistic, causing her to create some sort of chaos around her simply to distract her thoughts. She’d always related it to being a symptom of intelligence and since she knew Tony was considered a genius that his mind must simply be reeling more than hers was half the time. 

Then again, she also didn’t think superior intelligence was a valid excuse for his behavior. She was nearly as smart as he was and while she had gotten into her fair share of trouble because of it, she knew when to focus. Not to mention she could most certainly get through an entire story without having to restart it twelve times.

“Oh, you too? I get excited about going to see a movie and then I end up walking out halfway through and flirting with the girls at the concession stand or something similar. Depends on their age.”

“There are only a handful of movies I can sit through entirely without having to get up halfway through to do something else.”

“Oh, do share, Scarlett” Tony leaned his elbows on his knees and watched her curiously, batting his eyelashes playfully.

“How about you finish your story before we start on a completely different one. You were presenting an award! And here I thought you were doing so well, keeping on track.” It had to be impossible for him to be so easily distracted. Yet, there she was, bringing him back to his case in point again.

“Okay, but I’m going to remember that you said you would.” Tony eyed the half empty glass of scotch in her hand, wondering for a moment if she had some kind of drinking problem or something. It was rare that anyone could keep up with him. On top of that, he’d given her mild painkillers for her wound, which he’d always been instructed not to mix with alcohol. Though, he rarely listened. The worst that had ever happened to him when he’d mixed painkillers with his cocktails was that he’d pass out. Either way, he made a mental note to keep an eye on her over the next few hours to observe how her body handled the alcohol consumption. For the time being, it seemed remarkable.

“I’m not against talking about movies if you’re going to insist upon it. But, now I’m curious. How did you manage to get blacklisted from every important Hollywood event?”

“I might have been exaggerating a little bit. It’s not every important event, just all the ones that air on live television; the ones where my supposedly _erratic_ behavior could cause trouble.” Tony gave the woman a cocky smirk. “Anyway, being incredibly bored, I went on a walk and found the bar. There were a few no name actors hanging out there… maybe a musician or two. I can’t remember all the details and I’m terrible when it comes to names of unimportant people.”

“You’re so considerate, Stark.”

“I know, I’m just a _peach_.” Laughing, Tony continued. “One drink quickly turned into… three bottles of Jack and well, I was considerably drunk after that.”

“Well, I would most certainly imagine you were after finishing the first bottle.” Scarlett went to take a drink out of her scotch but stopped when Tony made a grab for her knee again. Narrowing her eyes she dared him to continue. Unwavering, Tony kept his hand right where he’d rested it and continued talking.

“I thought I heard them calling for me to get ready to head out on stage for my cue so I left the guys at the bar and did my thing. I ended up walking out on stage during the presentation for the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. They… Well, yeah the producers didn’t think that was very funny. I was half stumbling because I was so wasted. I walked out onto the stage and started doing the whole thing I’d come up with about cinematography even though they’d already announced the nominees for the actual award being presented. I didn’t realize I’d come out at the wrong time until after I’d finished speaking.”

“Weren’t you mortified?” Scarlett eyes were wide and fixed on Tony. She was truly surprised that he’d gotten away with such a thing and that she’d sadly missed it since she never bothered to watch award shows. Hollywood had never offered much of an interest to her.

“To tell the truth… Not really. I was too drunk to give a shit and the crowd thought I was making a gag. I’m not an easily recognizable drunk until I get absolutely shit-faced and I was just short of that. Antonio Banderas was announcing for that particular award that night and well… I can’t understand a _damn_ word that guy says when I’m sober so when he came over to me and tried to explain to me what I’d done and get me off stage I started making cracks about his accent. Thankfully he must have thought they were funny because he didn’t try _too_ hard to get rid of me. The producers were practically screaming at the crew to get me off the stage. But the audience loved me regardless. I still get compliments on that particular night to this day…”

“You fucked up that badly on national television and people _loved_ you for it?” Scarlett scoffed in disgust, curling her lip in annoyance. Why was it okay for him to get away with being so arrogant? People even encouraged it!

“Yeah, the idiots in charge still hated it though. What can I say? I’m charming. People should know what they’re getting into when they ask me to do something like that.”

“You _think_ that you’re charming, is what you mean.”

“Would you stop fighting with me about that already? If I wasn’t charming you would not be here with me right now in that fabulous dress, having an amazing dinner and drinking this delectable scotch while listening to me tell amusing anecdotes.” Tony grabbed the glass of scotch from her hand before she could take another sip of it and then instead drank out of it. His eyes met hers as he did. Mouth agape, in shock that he stole her glass of scotch, she stared in wonder for a moment before stealing _his_ glass of scotch off of the table and taking a long drink from it daringly.

“It is definitely _not_ charming to steal a girl’s booze.”

“You were just making it look so damn good holding it the way you were. I had to have a taste!” Tony laughed, deciding he’d keep her glass his hostage, pointing to the rim of it. “You know, it’s kinda like we’ve kissed, now that we’ve swapped glasses.” Grinning from ear to ear, he brought the glass slowly to his lips again and purposely took his time with his next drink.

“If that’s the case Stark, then you are a _terrible_ kisser.” Scarlett mocked then continued talking before he could argue with her on that fact or make another sexual innuendo. “So what happened after you presented for the wrong award? You said that the producers were still scathing mad at you even after you were a hit with the crowd.”

“Yeah they were pretty pissed off… Even though I was dragged off the stage while everyone was cheering _for_ me. I checked the ratings later that night to find that I had one of the highest watched moments during that year’s ceremony.” Grinning, Tony shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “They thanked me for the entertainment and sent me on my way. Honestly, I’ve been able to charm and twist my way out of every situation I’ve been in since I was old enough to talk, they should trust that I can handle poor situations and manipulate them to benefit me.”

“No wonder you’re so bored all the time. Life without conflict is hardly much of a life at all.” Scarlett shrugged coolly.

“Yeah, see? I’m not as distracted as you seem to think I am. My mind’s just in overdrive at the moment. I’m sure you can understand that.” Tony smiled charmingly. “And for the record, I haven’t been invited back to any of those national television events since… I’ve been given a few awards but half the time I forget to show up for them or I send someone in my stead… But I am always invited to _all_ the after parties. No matter how badly they want to get rid of me during their official ceremonies they cannot deny that I bring all the life to the after party.”

“I have no doubt of that considering all the rumors I’ve heard about you. I’m surprised how tame this dinner tonight has been. I still half expect a chorus line to come dancing in here and do a number for you at any time because you’re bored with just talking to me.” Scarlett snickered, trying her best to keep the mood light between them. The rotten thing about alcohol was that one wrong word could turn a mood sour and there was little recovering. Considering how her nerves had been mangled horribly, she was afraid of slipping into a depression that would destroy the huge progress she thought she was making with Tony.

“I told you, I’m _not_ bored by you. I find that particularly dangerous.” Tony spoke truthfully, leaning close to the glass he’d stolen and inhaling the enticing aroma of the potent scotch they’d been given as a gift by the owner. “My only complaint with this evening so far is that you have way too much clothing on.”

“Well, unfortunately for you that’s how it’s going to stay. Sorry to disappoint you, Stark.” Scarlett shook her head and laughed under her breath. She watched him curiously as he nursed her glass of scotch and shooed his hand off of her knee, having finally gotten annoyed with it. Moving her feet back onto the floor to sit properly, she wondered if he _was_ simply bored all the time and that’s why he’d created such an exciting existence for himself. But why was it so bad for him to be bored? 

“Oddly, I’m okay with that. For now.” Clearing his throat, he finally took a drink of the scotch then turned sideways on the couch to watch her eagerly. “Alright, it’s your turn.”

“My turn? My turn for what?” Scarlett cocked an eyebrow in amusement.

“Yeah. Come on, you know everything about me practically, and yes as you’ve said it’s against your will and shoved in your face, blah-blah-blah. But I don’t know _anything_ about you other than you’re a feisty engineer with amazing legs who just so happens to love cars.”

“And scotch. Don’t forget that.” She grabbed the half empty bottle and started to refill their glasses. Tony snatched the glass out of her hand, now holding both of them.

“Not until you agree to tell me a story about yourself. And an honest story at that, not one of those vague ones you’ve already shared.” Tony threatened. Instead of responding or feeling threatened that her scotch had been revoked, Scarlett simply took a drink straight from the bottle of scotch that had been left on the table. Watching her every move from her fingers to her lips, Tony licked his own with desire, contemplating his next move. “Hey… Hey, waiter?” Tony turned his gaze suddenly to the man standing just outside the door to wait on them at their beckoning call.

“Yes, Mr. Stark.”

“Another bottle of scotch, please and make it an older year. This one doesn’t seem to be enough.”

“Yes, sir.” The waiter bowed respectfully then left the room to retrieve another bottle of scotch as requested.

“I’ve got to warn you Stark, I can get pretty rowdy when I get drunk.”

“Oh trust me, I do too. I welcome it. Let me see rowdy Scarlett. This one is far too subdued, I think.” Tony waggled his eyebrows comically.

When the waiter returned with another bottle of scotch, Tony set both scotch glasses on the table then made a move to steal the first bottle from Scarlett who instead swatted his hands away and took another long drink. She then handed it over and smiled triumphantly. Her head starting to swell from the buzz the alcohol was giving her, but it was a pleasant and warm feeling. Tony wouldn’t admit it but he was feeling rather buzzed and out of it himself. He was surprised she could hold her liquor as well as she did. They’d had a lot of scotch up to this point and most people would be passed out or half naked by now and making terrible decisions. It made him think she was just as practiced in the art of drinking as he was and he wasn’t sure if that worried him or not.

“Rowdy doesn’t mean that I’ll get naked for you, just so you know.”

“A guy can still hope that rowdy leads to you getting naked for me.”

“Just give me my glass, Stark.”

“So, tell me something about yourself, Scarlett.” Tony handed her the refreshed drink and then tapped his glass gently against hers before taking a long drink of it. He wasn’t going to drop the subject no matter how many times she was going to change it. “I honestly wouldn’t ask you if I could find a damn thing about you.”

“I told you that there wasn’t anything out there worth knowing about me. I prefer to lie low, unlike you.”

“I get that but I really couldn’t find _anything_.”

“Not a thing?” Scarlett seemed proud of that fact.

“Not a _single_ thing.” Tony nodded. “Well, with the exception of a few drunk and disorderly charges, minor bar fight things… You know, stuff that’s on your record but has time served for it already. It’s the only information I could find on you at all. So, I’d like to know something about the woman I’m buying dinner for.”

Considering his offer, Scarlett took another drink from her glass. He seemed less obnoxious with alcohol in her system. Or maybe it was because she couldn’t _feel_ the pain in her thigh any longer. It could even be the fact that it’d been a whole hour since she’d felt guilty about causing Scott’s death that was making her feel better. Maybe telling him a few little unimportant details wouldn’t do any harm.

Immediately her mind warned her not to get attached again. Why was it so hard? Scarlett wished he wasn’t as charming as he claimed to be and she wished she could find that deep seated hatred she’d found earlier when she’d found herself in his lab. The nagging doubts and stress of her situation had unfortunately taken their toll on her resolve.

Tony was watching her thought process curiously, all the while scooting closer to her on the couch and resting his arm behind her. It wasn’t that he was trying to get his arm around her, even though it was an easy way to do so. It was more that he wanted to create the illusion of intimacy between them in attempts to break down the walls she’d thrown up left and right from the moment that they’d met. 

“You know, why the hell not?” Scarlett finally relented, looking up at him at last. She blinked very suddenly in surprise, realizing how close he’d gotten to her during her moment of quiet contemplation. “Wow, personal space Stark.”

“It’s Tony.” He whispered, leaning closer to her. “Why should I? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Oh, you’d like that wouldn’t you?” Scarlett placed her hand on the collar of his jacket and batted her eyelashes at him purposely. Leaning closer to him, her lips were nearly touching his. Tony didn’t take away his uniquely colored eyes away from hers. He was more than prepared to skip the conversation if she’d let him. “…no, you’re not making me uncomfortable. You just have terrible onion breath.” Letting go of his jacket, she shoved him away and brushed her curly hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Tony was stunned that things hadn’t gone the way he’d expected. He’d given her the look that made women melt and she’d told him he had _onion breath_! What had happened to his smolder?

“You know, you tease a guy like that enough times and eventually he’s going to become a lot more than you can handle.” Tony pointed a finger at her in warning, then returned to his glass of scotch, contemplating what the hell had just happened and why he was so disappointed it hadn’t gone the way he’d hoped.

“You know, if you make a move on a girl who can kick your ass when she doesn’t want you to, she might _actually_ hurt you.” Scarlett countered.

“Weren’t you going to tell me something about you? Something that didn’t include some sort of violence in regards to me?” Tony laughed, attempting to shake off the tension they’d built up in such a quick and surprising moment. It was no use. The tension was sticking around. At least from the looks of it, it wasn’t one sided and he considered that a plus.

“Yes, I was. But once again you got us off topic Stark.”

“Me? This is your story, how did _I_ get you off topic?” He mocked.

“You got all in my business over here.” Scarlett motioned to herself with a laugh. Tony was amused as well. “But yes, I must admit to you Stark, while I said I was an engineer I haven’t really been just an engineer since I graduated college.”

“Oh yeah? Where’d you go to school?”

“Now you’re just prying for information so you can dig up more dirt on me, so why don’t you let me tell my story?” Scarlett laughed.

“You’re good. This is going to be tougher than I hoped.”

“I know.” Scarlett spoke simply then continued with her story. She refused to get as distracted as Tony had. “I was bored with the common engineering jobs so I started searching for less conventional ones. For the last eight years or so I’ve been… well, I’ve been a jack of all trades. I made myself familiar with other skills that were desirable to legitimate companies and illegitimate in the area alike. I was a mercenary of sorts, though it was a title I was never fond of and never used.”

“I’m not shocked by that, to tell you the truth.” Tony sighed heavily. Oddly enough this didn’t bother him as much as he’d expected it to. He thought he’d be worried that she was involved in nefarious things, but somehow it only sweetened the deal. Scarlett was an adventure and a half to him.

“Oh really? You seemed so shocked that I was an engineer earlier, I wasn’t sure how you’d react to find that out.”

“Well, I looked you up after you went to shower and I couldn’t find a job history for you. I guessed that you were working off the books instead.”

“You’re smarter than you look, I mean common sense wise. I sort of thought you’d be an idiot with that stuff since you know… you’re apparently a genius or something.” The way Scarlett said that seemed insulting, but Tony still somehow found it amusing.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

“It must be nice seeing the world through your rose colored lenses.”

“It is actually.” While Tony had one small piece of the puzzle to add to his collection, he didn’t have enough to make a clear picture of Scarlett and he was sure there were a thousand more pieces before he’d have anything that would make sense. He still thought her name was an alias. There was no way that there was no record of her outside of international arrests for minor charges. It was practically impossible to live off the grid when she seemed to live in such a grand way.

“So, I’d been hired by a private company in Hong Kong to obtain some sensitive material from a rival company in Japan.”

“Holy shit there’s more to this story.” Tony laughed, honestly shocked she was willing to share so much with him.

“I promised you a story, didn’t I? You’re getting me off topic _again._ ” Laughing now herself, Scarlett swatted at his arm before taking another sip from her glass of scotch.

“That you did. And I’m sorry. You can spank me as punishment for my deplorable behavior if you like.”

“You’d like that _far_ too much.” Scarlett decided to dance around the innuendo and continue on with her story. This tale, unlike the other small things she’d shared with him, wasn’t a lie. “Anyway, the company in question owned a rather popular and beautifully constructed building in the heart of Tokyo. It just so happened that they were hosting a fashion design contest preliminary event there. I figured it was the perfect distraction for someone like me. I could meld into the crowd of the fabulous people easy enough, considering that half the crowd were foreigners.” Clearing her throat, she continued. “I snuck backstage and stole one of the dresses that were going to be on display for the contest. It wasn’t very hard to pass off as one of the models.”

“I _knew_ you had to have modeled at some point.” Tony grinned, listening curiously to her story and trying to picture her planning out this grand scheme to commit some sort of corporate espionage.

“If you’re that terribly desperate for that Stark then I can find you the article that came out after this later. But that is the _only_ time you’re going to see me as a model.”

“Yes, please. I’m _incredibly_ desperate.”

“Once I managed to sneak out of the backstage area of the fashion show I snuck through the crowd and managed my way past the locked staircases onto the third floor of the building. I found the computer system I had been searching for, knocked out the guard at the door and hacked the computer.” Half expecting Tony to distract her with something else, she was surprised when she saw him listening raptly to her story.

“Unfortunately hacking the computer triggered some kind of internal security I hadn’t been made aware of by my employer. The building started to lock down and the computers started to dump their memory.”

“What did you do?” Intrigued was an understatement for Tony.

“I stopped the memory dump. I thought I was screwed to tell the truth. I was half prepared to steal the hard drives right out of the computer and bring them with me but I didn’t exactly have anywhere to hide it in a couture gown.”

“And it’d be uncomfortable to put a hard drive in your cleavage right?” Tony acknowledged hers, his eyes lingering far too long.

“Stark, focus.”

“Focusing!”

“I managed to get what I needed, slipped it onto a memory stick which is just fine between my cleavage, for the record, then ran downstairs quickly. The fashion show was still underway. While the crowd had initially panicked when the building had gone into lockdown, apparently security had calmed them down enough to let them know it was standard procedure and had recommended they continue on with their show.”

“Don’t want to cause a panic. The Japanese are great at keeping their cool.”

“They are.” Scarlett nodded to agree. “I was about to make my way to the kitchens set up for the event so I could find a quiet place to plan my escape from lockdown when I was pulled suddenly backstage by one of the people running the fashion show. I tried to make a thousand excuses to express why I couldn’t go on the catwalk but none were being heard.”

“In the midst of my excuses, I was pushed into line with the other girls and had to walk across the stage in the damn dress I stole.” Tony laughed out loud at the mental image of how angry she must have looked. “Fortunately, while I’d been in the backroom for those few seconds I came up with a plan. At the time I was still smoking like a chimney so I had a lighter on me too. I set the curtains on fire as I walked past them and good thing I did.”

“Why?”

“Security finally realized I wasn’t a model. Apparently I’m too curvy for their dresses out there.” Scarlett laughed, shrugging her shoulders. They started to clear the crowd to attempt to take me into custody but the fire had already taken so well to the curtains at the back of the runway that the fire alarm system had gone off.”

“That unlocked the doors.” Tony knew where that was going and definitely thought it was a brilliant plan.

“You’re right. It doesn’t matter what country you’re in, most of them have pretty decent fire codes.” Scarlett smirked, holding her glass now with both hands while she spoke. “The sprinkler systems were activated thanks to the fire. Thankfully they managed to douse the flames and no real damage was done. But the front doors opened and the crowd went crazy trying to get onto the street. So in five inch heels, soaking wet from head to toe in a strapless couture gown I ran with the frantic crowd out onto the street but instead of waiting to find out what had happened like most of the crowd had, I got the hell out of there. I took the next bullet train and got as far from the place as I could before reporting to my employer.”

“Damn.” Tony laughed, wiping his jaw again, rough fingers brushing once again his goatee.

“That’s your response? _Damn?_ ”

“Yes.” Shaking his head, clearly amused, Tony continued to chuckle under his breath. “That was clever, setting the curtains on fire.”

“I know, probably one of the most brilliant on the spot plans I’ve ever come up with. I usually don’t work with fire. It’s too unpredictable. Honestly it usually just causes trouble instead of creating an escape. It’s one of the few times it’s ever benefited me.”

“If you ask me, you’re playing with fire _constantly_.” Pursing his lips he took the glass of scotch from her hands and topped off their glasses again. His head was swimming delightfully and he thought she looked far less tense than she’d been earlier if nothing else. “See, it’s not so hard to talk a little bit about yourself a little bit, is it?”

“Oh it was torture, every single second of it Stark. Don’t you doubt for a moment that it was agony to try and share my ridiculous story with you!”

“You’re absolutely absurd.” Turning sideways on the couch so that his knees bumped against hers, he grinned and continued. “You know, I’d definitely love to see you all wet in a strapless couture gown.”

“If you get me a strapless couture gown, I’ll consider it.” Amused, Scarlett clearly thought they were joking back and forth.

“Done!” Tony’s eyes widened, immediately thinking of what sort of surprise he could arrange. If nothing else, she would learn not to misjudge his words.

“And _I’m_ the absurd one between us?”

“You did promise me that you’d show me the article from this at the very least.”

“And I will, but not right now. I’m not sure I can properly navigate the internet without getting distracted by cute pictures at this moment.” A small amused giggle escaped her lips and she covered her mouth to try and hide it.

“That could be fun too though.”

“Stop it.” Stifling another laugh she did her best to make a more serious face.

“You know, I told you earlier that I thought you were sort of a bond girl?”

“Yeah, you mentioned something offensive like that when I remarked I liked Aston Martins.”

“I take that back. You’re definitely the female version of 007.” The childish grin on Tony’s face was wider than Scarlett thought possible.

“That’s slightly less offensive.”

“So super spy…” Tony held up his glass.

“I’m not a spy.”

“Assassin?”

“I’m not an assassin, Stark.” Scarlett considered that she had done that sort of work in the past, but it wasn’t the title she preferred. “I don’t like titles.”

“Will you let me pay you a compliment that’s not about your tits, _please?_ ” Tony covered her mouth with his palm and was surprised when she bit his palm in response. Pulling it away he pouted and shook his hand, holding it close to his chest defensively. “Uncalled for…”

“You have got to get over this personal space thing you like to do.” Accusingly pointing her index finger at him she was about to take a drink of the scotch she retrieved after he’d refilled their glasses, when Tony stopped her.

“I was going to propose a toast!”

“Didn’t we do the toast thing when the scotch first came here?”

“I’m making a new toast. To you, Scarlett Damien… the model, James Bond spy, assassin, scotch drinking and most certainly not boring beauty.”

“Seriously?” The skepticism was written all over her face.

“Glass up, come on.”

“I’m not making a toast to that, Stark.”

“It’s _Tony_ and fine. How about to new friends and good stories?”

“We’re not friends.”

“Fine, to uncooperative bitches and arrogant pricks.”

“That I will drink to.” A smile on her face, Scarlett finally held up her glass and let it clink against Tony’s.

“Cheers.”


	10. Security Risks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I keep forgetting to update, so here's another double update for you. (:

Their night at the restaurant continued on despite Tony and Scarlett’s meals having been long finished. As long as the alcohol kept flowing, they felt no reason to end the night early. They’d argued over dessert when the waiter had returned to a point where they hadn’t ordered anything at all and had instead been distracted into arguments about unrelated topics. Stories were exchanged became increasingly ridiculous with the additional liquor. Soon enough, it had become a contest to see who had the better stories, neither one of them winning the prize nor willing to tell their honest to goodness best stories quite yet. As far as they were concerned the night was still too young for such things. Not to mention, they were still testing each other’s limits.

“Hey, hey you! Waiter boy!” Tony pointed toward the waiter still stationed just outside the doorway of the private room they were seated in, in an attempt to get his attention. When he didn’t turn around to look at them, Tony turned his gaze to Scarlett. “Do you think he’s started tuning us out?”

“Maybe he’s just tuning _you_ out. I mean, you _have_ been chattering incessantly for the last hour. I’ve got to be honest. I’ve started to tune you out too,” Scarlett said with a smirk, bringing her glass to her lips. Her cheeks had become rosy from the buzz of the alcohol and she was feeling absolutely no pain. It was easier to want to drink more and more when she got to this point. Tony was obviously feeling the effects of the alcohol too, considering he hadn’t stopped smiling in a solid half an hour. Scarlett wondered how his face wasn’t in pain from smiling so much.

Ever since the alcohol had started to affect them, Tony had been calling the waiter over repeatedly for little things like his opinion on an argument or just to ask a ridiculous irrelevant question. The poor man must have felt increasingly awkward and nervous as the night went on. Scarlett couldn’t blame him since she knew Tony was a lot to handle and she’d only spent half a day with him.

“Don’t be silly, I’ve been entertaining him not chattering his ear off.” Tony waved his hands boisterously while he spoke and tried once again to call to the waiter. “Hey! I need some attention over here!”

“Like you don’t get enough attention all the time from everyone around you, you need this poor guy’s too.” Scarlett rolled her eyes, setting her scotch glass down on the table. Getting up from his spot on the couch, Tony nearly bumped into the table and spilled the remaining bottle of scotch. Scarlett grabbed his arm to try and steady him.

“Let go of me, Scarlett I’m trying to get his attention,” Whining, Tony tugged his wrist in an attempt to get her to let go.

“Oh, leave the poor man alone, Stark! He’s just trying to do his job and you’re making it that much harder on him.” Scarlett couldn’t help but laugh, giving Tony’s arm a tug to try and get him to sit down on the couch instead of chasing after the waiter.

“No! No, Scarlett!” Giggling, but faking a pouting face he tugged on her grip hard enough to lift her bottom half momentarily off of the couch. Eyes large in astonishment, she swatted at his arm to get him to put her down properly. Continuing to pout he tried to explain. “I cannot listen to this album again and again! This same mandolin music playing over and over… I mean it was pretty the first time we heard it but now? Now it’s boring a hole in my skull.”

“You’re exaggerating a little Stark. It’s not drilling a hole in your head.” Scarlett finally let go of Tony’s wrist as he pulled on her again and watched, pleased, as he stumbled and actually fell on his backside. Lying on the floor for a moment he stared at the couch and stifled his laughter. He dramatically rolled onto his back and then sat back up with the momentum of his roll, rubbing his head like he’d been hurt. Giving her the most pathetic look he could muster he widened his puppy dog eyes in an attempt at sympathy. Unfortunately, he could barely keep a straight face for more than a few seconds before bursting into hysterics.

“You’re so mean to me,” Drifting off, he cleared his throat then attempted to get back onto his feet.

“Stark, the music is fine! Wait for our waiter to come and get our glasses to clean or something. Or maybe to ask for the three thousandth time if we want coffee or dessert. He _clearly_ needs a break from you since he’s ignoring you.”

“Hey, you’ve been sitting with me for hours and you seem to be doing _just_ fine and you can’t stand me, remember? Besides, I’m going to give this guy the most amazing tip and… and it’s only fair that I get to listen to music I actually like if I’m paying all this money.” Tony argued, and stumbled to his feet at long last. It wasn’t that he was so terribly drunk that he was falling over himself, he was just drunk enough to have a hard time regaining his equilibrium after having tumbled onto the ground.

“You better give him a really fantastic tip just for putting up with you, with the way you’ve been behaving.” Tony turned around to face Scarlett and walked backwards toward the door, pointing a finger in her direction. 

“Hey, hey now… I plan on doing just that, thank you very much, but it’s definitely not the same kind of tip I’m planning on giving to you for putting up with my _behavior_.” Winking and making a clicking sound with his mouth, he stumbled and turned around to walk properly. “Now, if you leave me alone for a few seconds, Black Sabbath can happen. I know it’s _hard_ and all, but keep your panties on.” Tony stopped walking for a moment and turned to flash Scarlett the smile that had gotten a thousand women in his bed before her. “Oh wait, I’m the one hard up right now, aren’t I? My apologies.” Running his tongue over his bottom lip he finally turned away from her and started toward the waiter. “Hey, can you hear me?”

Scarlett looked around for something she could throw that wouldn’t cause him too much pain. Finally she picked up one of the small ruby colored ornamental pillows on the couch. Tongue between her lips in concentration, she threw the pillow at the back of Tony’s head. It bounced off the top of his head and flew across the room behind the bar at the other end. Standing still in shock, Tony stood with his head cocked to the side before sliding around on one shoe to look at Scarlett.

“I’m pretty sure you don’t have any tips that would interest me anyway, Stark.” Scarlett started and when Tony opened his mouth to respond to the contrary she continued talking over him as he had done to her so many times. “Plus, Black Sabbath? Really? You really think that _Ozzy Osbourne_ fits the mood right now? On top of that, Blue Oyster Cult is obviously a far superior band.” Her eyes were sparkling mischievously.

“Oh you did _not_ just start that old argument up with me.” Tony couldn’t resist the temptation of the conversation she’d dangled in front of him. He retrieved the pillow she’d thrown from behind the bar and walked back over to the couch, temporarily distracted from his attempts to gather the waiter’s attention. “Black Sabbath revolutionized the music industry. Think of all the metal bands today that are influenced by them. Name a single band that Blue Oyster Cult inspired.”

“Revolutionized the music industry? Hardly. Are you brain damaged? Alice Cooper was pulling those stunts on stage long before Ozzy was and Iron Maiden, musically, has influenced metal far more than Black Sabbath could ever dream of!” Scarlett scoffed, swirling the scotch in her glass she retrieved while she spoke. It wasn’t that she wanted to drink anymore, but she needed something to do with her hands. Sitting down next to Scarlett once again, Tony tucked one leg beneath him and held the pillow in his lap.

“Alice Cooper was a completely different style of music so you can hardly compare them. Have you even _listened_ to a Black Sabbath album? Or am I going to have to school you?”

“Me? Have _you_?” Scarlett argued, putting down her glass once more and pointing an accusing finger. “I’m sorry, but Tony Iommi’s guitar was pathetic in comparison. Come on, can’t the guy play more than three chords in a song outside of a solo? And don’t get me started on the drums. Blue Oyster Cult wins musically all the way.” Amused, Scarlett continued on. “Admit it. Blue Oyster Cult was at least superior when it came to musical talent.”

“And aside a few completely diehard fans like you, _apparently_ , they didn’t achieve the level of stardom Black Sabbath achieved and continues to achieve over the years. Staying power goes to Ozzy.”

“Oh, so you’re saying they’re a lot like _you?_ ” Scarlett pursed her lips, trying to hide her smile. Tony’s eyebrows rose high on his brow out of curiosity.

“How so? Obviously staying power…”

“What I meant was they’re popular and overrated.” Scarlett grinned then put her hands up in defense as Tony swatted at her with the pillow.

“That was below the belt!” He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Isn’t that how you like it?” Scarlett stuck her tongue at him and grabbed at the pillow, trying to tug it closer to her to keep him from swatting her with it.

Tony actually stopped trying to swat at her and thought about that while trying to tug the pillow back from her grip.

“I guess you’re right about _that._ ” Letting go of the pillow he watched Scarlett lose her balance just as he had when they’d been fighting earlier and nearly fall off the couch. Tony grabbed her arms and helped her right herself.

“You’re making it worse!” Scarlett shoved at his hands and ignored the sudden stinging of the scrape on her arm.

“I was just trying to help.” Tony reached for his bowtie and started to loosen it a little once he was sure she was properly seated upright.

“It was your fault that I was falling off the couch in the first place.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t help me off of the floor before when you knocked me on my ass so I figured I’d be the better person.”

“You are a far cry from that.” Scarlett laughed, clearing her throat. Things quieted between them for a moment and all they heard was the clinking of glasses and the sound of the mandolin playing over the stereo system. Tony got up again, continuing to be frustrated by the music overhead.

“That’s it.”

“No, don’t torture me with Ozzy!” Scarlett whimpered pleadingly. Unable to resist this new and completely intoxicating sound she’d made, Tony stopped and looked down at her from where he stood. When she pouted he felt something churn in the pit of his stomach and reluctantly sat back down.

“That’s just _evil,_ for the record.” Tony picked up his glass of scotch and instead of taking a drink, looked through the glass at the very small amount of liquid left within it. Setting it back down, he looked back to Scarlett. “Fine, if not Ozzy, then what?” She opened her mouth to speak when he interrupted. “If you even suggest Blue Oyster Cult I will assault you with a pillow again. I will not listen to any of that Don’t Fear the Reaper garbage…”

“That’s not fair, that song was grossly overplayed and far inferior to any other song they came out with!” Scarlett laughed and held her hands up in defense again, not wanting to take another beating with the pillow.

“I thought we were judging on popularity!” Tony laughed, swatting at her hands so they wouldn’t obscure his view of her face any further.

“I wasn’t going to suggest them anyway!”

“Well then what _were_ you going to suggest then? I swear if Alice Cooper is your next suggestion…”

“What’s wrong with Alice? Welcome to My Nightmare is a great album.”

“It was, but I refuse to sit here and try to argue music with you any longer. You’re impossible.”

“ _I’m_ impossible?” Scarlett’s mouth hung open in awe. “Did you honestly just say that after all that we’ve gone through today? You _kidnapped_ me!” Tony threw his hands over her mouth, eyes wide. He glanced over at the waiter who was still continuing to ignore them for the time being.

“Get me arrested, why don’t you?” Tony pulled his hands away before she could bite him as she’d done last time. “And yes, _you’re_ impossible! Every little thing has to be an argument with you.”

“Maybe that’s because you keep talking over me and I have to fight with you to get a word in edgewise!” Scarlett laughed, wiping her mouth on her arm.

“What is this now? Do I have cooties or something?”

“What, are we twelve?” Scarlett scoffed then wiped her mouth again, laughing after a quiet moment. “For the record, yes, you do have cooties and I have not been properly immunized since I was… eleven.” Tony couldn’t help but laugh. “You interrupted me again, you know.”

“Fine, fine why don’t you just _say_ what you intended to say before I interrupted you.” Tony waited for her to open her mouth before talking again, purposely. “Though, I doubt I’m going to agree with you about anything musically.”

“Oh I swear to god Stark if you interrupt me again…” Scarlett made a fist and shook it threateningly. “Bang, zoom, straight to the moon!”

“Are you secretly a fifty year old man?” Tony laughed, his face starting to hurt from smiling so much. It had been ages since anyone had entertained him for such a long period of time without becoming boring. Scarlett was a pistol, a regular ball of fire and a refreshing change to the stiffs he’d found himself hanging out with lately. It wasn’t that Pepper was boring. It was just that she was constantly on the lookout for his wellbeing when Tony just wanted to have a bit of fun. It was the same with Rhodes and Happy. They were his friends but at the same time they treated him like a ticking time bomb. And maybe he was a time bomb of irresponsibility and immaturity, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to have any fun at all.

“What, no love for the Honeymooners?”

“My mom loved that show.” Tony smirked and shook his head. “But no, I was just surprised, that’s all.”

“Now before you interrupt me again, I was going to suggest we try to come to a compromise about the music before you drive the waiter out of his mind.” Scarlett poked the pillow that now rested between them in a neutral zone.

“I already told you that the likelihood of the two of us actually agreeing over a band is pretty nonexistent.” Tony scolded, taking her arm and looking at the bandage that had been wrapped around the minor wound there. He had noticed her wincing when he’d tried to prevent her from falling to the ground earlier.

“It’s not my fault that you have terrible taste.” Reaching for a sip of her water to try and clear her head, she watched Tony the entire time.

“Terrible taste? Impossible!” He looked truly insulted and narrowed his eyes. “How can you say that I have terrible taste when you’ve seen my house? Observe how I dress.” Standing up again he tugged off his sport coat and showed off the classy button up he was wearing. “Not to mention that stunning little number you’re wearing was something I picked off the rack.” Tugging her by her wounded arm, he urged her off of the couch and made an attempt to spin her around to show off the dress she wore.

“Just because you can afford Armani and Versace doesn’t mean you have impeccable taste. And I’m sure someone else decorated your house, not you.” Scarlett argued, swatting his hands away and keeping him from completing her spin. “Even if it is your taste, it doesn’t mean that your good taste reflects everywhere. You obviously lack when it comes to music.” Scarlett laughed and sat back down but Tony tugged her hands again to try to get her to stand up.

“Come on Scarlett do a little turn on the catwalk for me…” He laughed, but pouted to try and get her obey. Scarlett would’ve if she hadn’t been so stubborn. He was like an adorable puppy dog with those big brown eyes looking at her with such need and want. But, it was too much fun to tell him no.

“Stark, sit down!” Scarlett patted his spot on the couch and pulled her hands away quickly when he nearly sat on them. It was astonishing that she could get along with him at all. When she’d started out the day she hadn’t been sure she could tolerate him long enough to fake a friendship. Now that the day had progressed and the alcohol had melted the stress from her experience in South Africa, it was far easier to handle anything Tony could throw at her. In fact, he was more than tolerable. She was enjoying herself immensely. How long had it been since she’d laughed like this without being completely wasted? She couldn’t recall a time since her youth. Despite that she’d had a lot to drink she definitely wasn’t wasted but rather delightfully buzzed.

Even then, she still reasoned that alcohol had been the key to learning to deal with Tony Stark. Tony sat down on the couch again, picked up both her hands and got very close to her, pleading with his eyes.

“Stark, I’m not going to do parade around for you in this dress. It’s completely out of the question.”

“Please… please Scarlett, call me Tony. I _need_ you to call me Tony.”

“We’ve been through this already.”

“I know and I swear I’m starting to lose my mind if you don’t listen.” Tony pled.

“I think we’re well past that point.” Scarlett smiled and pulled her hands away from his when she started to feel uncomfortable being that close to him again.

“You know, I really thought that spending an entire night out with you would be like pulling my teeth out with rusty pliers.” Tony straightened his back and then started to look around for the coat he’d discarded.

“Oh, thanks.” Scarlett laughed, reaching for her scotch again, even though she was honestly growing bored with the drink.

“No, no hear me out!” Tony continued on and snatched her glass right from his hands for about the thirtieth time. “Just, listen to me for a second.”

“I’m listening.”

“I’m actually having a really nice time.”

“So?”

“I’m not bored at _all_. These types of places usually bore the hell out of me.” Tony grinned, trying to make get his point across. He was hoping that Scarlett would give him confirmation that she was enjoying herself just as much.

“Wow you are easily entertained.”

“Oh admit it, you like me and other than you not calling me by my actual name, I like you.” Tony set down her glass on the table again.

“Why do you keep taking away my drink?”

“Because I want you to listen to me for ten seconds without scotch in your mouth!”

“You’re the one with listening problems here, not me.” Scarlett argued. Tony laughed and shook his head. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to get her to admit a damn thing.

“Come on, let’s figure out music we can agree on.”

“Fine, but let’s stay away from metal and rock because we obviously don’t agree on that.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like Blue Oyster Cult, just that I liked Black Sabbath better.” Tony countered but continued before she could argue over it. “But, I agree. Let’s try to agree on something else.”

“What about the blues? Or jazz?” Scarlett was clearly done arguing the subject. It was hard for her to even admit to herself, but she really was having a good time.

“How about Nat King Cole?” Tony suggested right off the bat, though music was the last thing on his mind. He was honestly just saying the first few names that came to mind.

“Jimmy Thackery.” Scarlett scowled at his suggestion. “His voice is shit, but his guitar is just amazing.” 

“It’s not _all_ about the guitar. I’m starting to think you’re a bit of a slut for the guitar. BB King?” Tony was lost in thought. “Can’t we have some good piano?”

“I am not a slut for the guitar. I’m just as slutty for good piano jazz. How about Ella Fitzgerald? No one can argue with Ella’s voice…”

“I’m not a big fan of scat.” Tony saw Scarlett immediately become defensive. “I’m sorry I’m just not! I know she has a great voice and all, but I’m just not in the mood.”

“Fine, fine no blues or jazz then it seems…”

“Then what’s left that isn’t boring as hell?” Tony sighed heavily. “Oh wait, hey… what about Elvis?”

“That’s fun and all but there are crooners far superior to Presley.” Scarlett pointed out, having given up on retrieving her scotch glass since Tony seemed to be doing his best to keep her away from it.

“Ah the crooners, now you’re right up my alley. I was always a big fan of the rat pack.” Tony smirked, feeling like he’d finally found some common musical ground with his companion. Leaning splayed against the couch he tapped his fingers on the arm of it.

“Yes, that I can agree with you on Stark. Finally.” Scarlett turned on the couch and watched him in amusement. Even splayed out undignified on the couch, he looked classy.

“So, we’ll have them put on some Frank Sinatra then? Sound good?”

“Sinatra was good but overrated, as is the trend I’m finding here with you Stark. Dean Martin was far better.” Scarlett argued.

“Are you seriously arguing with me over Sinatra and Dean Martin?”

“I’m not arguing, I’m just stating what is obvious to everyone else on this planet!” Scarlett was amused that he’d become so defensive.

“You’re arguing. Must you make _everything_ incredibly difficult?”

“As far as I’m concerned, this is a learning experience.”

“And what are we learning?”

“That you have terrible taste.” Scarlett stifled her amusement. “Fine, fine… I don’t dislike Frank Sinatra. If that’s who you want to put on then go ahead. Anything is better than Black Sabbath.”

“Look, let’s compromise and put on Bing Crosby.” Tony suggested, resting a hand on her shoulder. “Sound fair?”

“Oh yes, definitely.” Scarlett nodded to agree. “That man can sing me to sleep any day.” Tony got up from where he sat on the couch and started toward the waiter at the door who had actually turned to watch their hilarity. Turning around halfway through his walk, Tony pointed a threatening finger at Scarlett as he’d done earlier.

“Keep all pillows to yourself this time.” Tony smirked and then went to speak to the waiter to convince him to change the music playing overhead.

“Just go!” Scarlett chuckled and looked around the room, deciding to refill her glass of scotch while she had the opportunity. Tony spoke with the waiter at the other end of the room then after he’d disappeared, Tony closed the door to give them more privacy. After a moment the music started playing overhead.

“Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven…” Tony snapped his fingers and sauntered back toward Scarlett, singing the lyrics to the song that had started to play overhead.

“You’re ridiculous.” Scarlett shook her head but was actually surprised that Tony knew the words and didn’t sound terrible singing them on top of that.

“So I’ve been told.” Pointing to the glass of scotch she was sipping from he shook his head. “No more scotch, I think we need some red wine.”

“What? Are you getting a little _too_ drunk, Stark? Are you worried that I’m going to take advantage of you?” Playfully joking, Scarlett took a sip from her scotch glass.

“No, red wine fits the music choice better now…”

“Scotch was Dino’s drink of choice and you’re going to tell me that red wine is more ideal for this type of music?” Scarlett watched him as he started back across the room to the unmanned bar. Getting up from her spot on the couch, she set down her glass and started after him. “Get out of there, Stark you’re not supposed to go back there.”

“So? I’ll pay for whatever I take.” Tony shrugged and instead of walking the length of the bar, climbed on the bar stool, slid his butt onto the counter of the bar and stood on top of it. 

“I don’t think you’re supposed to touch that stuff. These places have rules and such, you know.”

“I will touch _whatever_ I want. Haven’t you figured that out yet?” He jumped off of the bar and onto the other side then started to browse through the wine selection available to him. “And if we were listening to Dean Martin I’d let us keep drinking scotch but we’re not. We’re listening to Bing Crosby and his voice makes me want a nice cab…”

“At least you didn’t say merlot. I’d have to tell you how cliché you are.” Scarlett sat back down, deciding it wasn’t worth arguing with Tony over. He grabbed two bottles of wine after browsing through them, bobbing his head to the beat of the song overhead.

“Merlot is overdone. I’ll take a nice cabernet any day over merlot. How about some Amarone to shake up our evening?” Tony turned around to face her, holding up each bottle in his hand, then maneuvering himself back onto the counter of the bar.

“I can’t argue with a good Italian wine.” Scarlett shook her head in dismay. “You know there’s a way to go around the bar.”

“There is, but this is much more fun.” Tony smirked and stumbled as he jumped off of the bar. He put both bottles down on the table in front of Scarlett then held up a finger as he sat lost in thought. “Forgot a corkscrew…”

“What, not going to pull it out with your teeth and try to impress me?”

“Not unless I want to break my teeth.” Tony laughed. “Which I’m sure you’d love to watch.”

“Oh yes, I think that would be my favorite thing right now.”

“How would I charm you without my million dollar smile?”

“Oh, get over yourself already. I’ve dated way hotter.”

“Honey, there’s no one hotter.” Tony searched around the bar, leaping on top of it easily this time.

“Your ego is unbelievable.” Scarlett picked up one of the wine bottles and looked over the label in Italian.

“That’s not the only thing that’s unbelievable about me, Scarlett.” Finding a corkscrew and returning to the table, he stole the bottle from her hands and twisted the curved metal piece into the cork of the wine bottle. “Oh and for the record, if you wanted to take advantage of me, sweetheart I’d be more than happy to let you ride in the rodeo.” A smirk on his face he popped the cork of the bottle and then poured them each a glass of the red wine into the glasses that had been left for them at the table.

“I already told you, Stark. You’ve talked yourself up so much that you are bound to be disappointing and I’m far more dangerous than you can handle.” Scarlett picked up her glass and swirled the wine around to let it breathe. She knew the longer that it stayed out of the bottle the more it would open up and the better it would taste.

“For someone who didn’t want my wine, you sure are eager to drink it.” Tony picked up his own glass and swirled it around in a similar manner. Still standing up he tapped his feet to the music and took a sip of the wine. “The Italian’s sure now how to make a good glass of wine.”

“That is what they do best.” Scarlett took a sip of her wine and then leaned back comfortably on the couch, crossing her legs and bobbing her head to the new music he’d put on. “Are you starting to get antsy?”

“Very.” Tony put down his glass and held his hand out to her. “Come on, I love this song… Dance with me?” Narrowing his eyes he dared her to get up and join him, hoping to make the offer sound appealing.

Scarlett merely stared at his hand and then shook her head in a negative manner after thinking about the proposition.

“Come on, this song is fantastic. You’re missing out on a once in a life time opportunity.”

“A once in a lifetime opportunity that so many women have experienced you probably can’t keep track of how many.” Scarlett laughed condescendingly.

“Scarlett, come on…” Tony grabbed her wrist and tugged her up and off of the couch against her will.

“Stark, you’re going to spill wine all over me.” She laughed, trying to pull away and take another drink of her wine before he stole it from her which seemed inevitable at this point. Tony did as she guessed and grabbed the glass of wine, prying it from her fingers before setting it back down on the table. “Why do you keep pouring me alcohol only to take it away from me?”

“You’re paying too much attention to it. I need your attention on me right here, right now.” Tony turned back to her and saw her heading back to sit on the couch. “Oh, no you don’t. We’re dancing.”

“Stark…” Scarlett rolled her eyes and tried to maneuver her hands away from him.

“Just one dance, I swear! Then I’ll let you drink your wine.” Tony spun her around and pulled her into his arms with the momentum of the turn. She couldn’t help but laugh as she tried to squirm away. After a moment of struggle Tony managed to lace his fingers with hers and keep her in his arms for a moment. They swayed together for a few seconds before Scarlett renewed her attempts at tugging away from him.

“I told you no already!” Despite her insistence that she didn’t want to dance, Scarlett couldn’t stop smiling at that point. They were practically doubling over struggling for dominance in the middle of the room.

“Do you not know how to dance? Don’t worry I’m an excellent lead. All you have to do is follow along.” Tony urged her hand to his shoulder, slipping his on her waist afterward.

“No, I just don’t _want_ to dance with you!” Scarlett cleared her throat to stop giggling and finally stopped her struggling so she could probably look up at Tony.

“Cut a guy a break just this once. All I want is to dance to Bing Crosby and you wanted me to leave the waiter alone so you’re all I’m left with.”

“Oh, so I’m a last resort now am I?”

“I can’t win with you, can I?” Tony chuckled but had found that she wasn’t arguing that much anymore or tugging to try to get away. Finally, he had her attention and was even getting her to sway with him a bit.

After a moment of silence, Scarlett pulled her hand away from his shoulder and made to walk away. Hand still in hers, Tony tugged her back to him, causing her to spin around and fall into him.

“Stark!” She scolded, looking up at him at him, the back of her head leaning against his chest from how he’d twisted her. He helped her straighten up then spun her around and put his hand back on her waist.

“One song. It’s not torture.”

“It’s a completely different song now.” Scarlett scoffed after a moment left to think. Tony didn’t argue but merely looked at her pleadingly. Finally, she sighed and put her hand back on his shoulder, practically hitting him as she did so.

“Rough, I like it.” Tony whispered in her ear, while leading her around the room to dance with him. The music slowed down and he pulled her closer to him. “See, this isn’t so terrible now is it?”

“I guess if nothing else you don’t have two left feet.” Scarlett sighed heavily and did her best to avoid eye contact. He was far better at this seduction thing than she was willing to admit. She wasn’t ready for this part of her plan yet, not ready at all. On top of that, she was finding herself wanting it to come faster and knew that was a bad sign. She needed time to remove herself from the situation with Tony so she could properly take advantage of the situation.

“Scarlett?” Tony attracted her attention and finally captured her in his gaze. Her blue eyes were cold and confused. Whatever was going on behind them had lured him in and trapped him entirely.

Scarlett’s stomach turned uneasily as she looked into his honey brown eyes, no longer able to pull away. Why did she have to _actually_ like him? Why couldn’t it be as easy as every job before it? Tony more than deserved the revenge she planned on dishing out so why couldn’t she just get it over with since the opportunity had arisen?

“Do you think I’ll remember how you looked when you smile?” Scarlett was nearly shaken when Tony started singing along with the music overhead. Cursing mentally she tried to look away but found that instead of looking into his eyes she was now watching his lips and dreaming of what they would taste like against hers. “Only forever that’s putting it mild…” Tony lowered his voice, wanting to draw her in closer.

His gut was telling him to pull away now. He could hear Pepper warning him that this woman meant to do him harm. After a moment he realized that he didn’t care if she did. The song stopped and transitioned to the next on the album and it took them only a moment to realize that they had stopped dancing entirely somewhere along the line and were simply staring at each other.

Scarlett’s heart was pounding in her throat and as much as she screamed internally to turn away she found her thoughts completely fixated on his lips. Now her thoughts were much more fixated on the hand that hand that had crept to the small of her back and was slowly tugging her closer to him. When had she moved her hand onto his chest and tilted her head to the side? She didn’t remember doing that and it made her nervous.

Tony knew it was now or never and bridged the increasingly small gap between their lips. As his lips barely brushed against hers for a single second he felt the lump in the back of his throat swell.

Then a shrill ringing came from his pocket. The tension momentarily broke while both Tony and Scarlett tried to find the source of the sound. Tony realized after a moment that it was his cell phone ringing and opted to ignore it. Scarlett was far more distracted by it than he was it seemed. Her heart was racing and her breathing elevated far beyond what she wanted it to be. Somewhere along the line she’d lost control of her emotions and needed to desperately regain her composure.

“You should answer that, Stark.” Scarlett pulled a few centimeters away from his lips, which was all she could seem to manage. Despite the incessant ringing that came from his pocket, the tension was still thick between them. Tony shook his head no, the slightest hint of a smile hanging on his lips.

“I’m too busy answering to something else right now, Scarlett.” Tony tugged her closer and leaned in to find her lips again. Scarlett turned her head to the side and narrowly avoided his kiss. Instead she risked slipping her hand into his pants pocket and fished around for his cell phone. Tony’s eyes widened and he attempted to squirm away but Scarlett had found what she’d been searching for.

Turning away from him she studied the phone’s interface and then answered the call, putting it on speakerphone. Tony reached around her waist to try and grab at the phone to get it away from her, but also to maneuver her back into his arms.

“Give me that! Come on, it can wait. Nothing could be that important…”

Scarlett elbowed Tony in the ribs and held the phone out of his reach so he couldn’t steal it.

“Hello?” Scarlett responded once the connection had been made, continually swatting at Tony’s hands as they attempted to reach around her to grab his phone back.

“Give it!” Tony laughed, though his thoughts were reeling. What was he doing? Seducing the potential enemy! Of course, he’d been trying to get her into bed since the moment she’d woken up but this was something entirely different than a good lay. That uncontrollable desire to kiss her lips, it was more than he’d expected it to be. Something different was going on in his mind than ever before. Maybe it was because she’d told him no so many times? It wouldn’t be the first time that’d happened to him. That had to be it. She’d rejected him and now he needed her. At least that’s how he rationalized it.

“Stop it Stark! Hello? Hello, can you hear me?” Scarlett brought the phone closer to her when she hadn’t received an initial response. There was still no voice coming out of the receiver. Scarlett looked at Tony over her shoulder then pulled the phone away as he made another mad grab for it.

“Wait, I hear something!” Tony shouted and the two quieted down, finally stopping their arguing over the phone. There was some kind of mechanical whirring on the other end of the line. They both winced when there was a shrill scream coming from the speaker very abruptly.

“Tony!” The familiar but now frantic voice of Pepper Potts came on the other line of the phone.  
“Pepper?” Tony and Scarlett said in unison.  
“Tony! Tony help!” There was another panicked scream from the other end of the phone.


	11. A Public Display

Tony and Scarlett stared at the phone, neither one of them sure if what they’d heard had been real. Was Pepper playing some sort of rotten joke on them? It had taken Tony a solid thirty seconds to shake the sex oriented frame of mind he’d been lost in just so he could comprehend what was happening on the other end of the phone.

“Excuse me.” Tony reached around Scarlett and pulled the phone from her hands so he could have control over the situation. Folding her arms over her chest, Scarlett wasn’t going to argue any further. She’d expected to screw with one of his investors or one of his friends, not answer to a panic ridden Pepper Potts.

“Weren’t they supposed to join us for dinner at some point?” Scarlett had nearly completely forgotten that the fiery assistant was supposed to join them as a buffer to make her feel less awkward. Perhaps if she’d been there the Tony wouldn’t have managed to get as close to Scarlett as he’d gotten to be.

“Pepper, will you stop screaming for a second?” Tony cleared his throat and spoke clearly into the phone.

“You stop screaming!” Pepper snapped at him in a panic.

“What’s going on? What happened?” Fear and adrenaline had gripped Tony at the sound of chaos on the other end of the line. What kind of trouble had his friends managed to get into now?

“Happy drove me to meet you two at that club you mentioned!” Pepper was out of breath, like she’d been running for a great deal of time. “You weren’t anywhere to be found when we got there and the only trace of you we could find was the massive bill you left for us! How did you even manage to drink that much alcohol without being there, Tony?”

“First of all drinks were on me… does… is that _really_ important right now, Pepper? What’s going on?” Tony shook his head. “Besides, when was the last time I didn’t spend a ridiculous amount of money on alcohol?”

“Focus, damnit!” Scarlett swatted Tony’s arm with the back of her hand and turned her attention back to the phone. “Pepper, what happened at the club?”

“We were searching for you when these men in black suits came into the club. I had a really bad feeling about them so we tried to hide so we could spy on them to see if they knew where you were. I was hoping that you hadn’t gotten into trouble right after leaving the house. They tried to stop anyone from leaving the club but then the power went out! The club was in chaos!”

“What?” Tony and Scarlett looked mutually confused at this turn of events. When Scarlett had heard Pepper screaming, the worst she thought could be happening was some sort of car accident or something, not mystery men in black suits coming after them in the middle of Malibu.

“They grabbed me, Tony! It was like they were looking for me! I couldn’t see where I was going or run from them, it was too dark.” Pepper’s voice was trembling with fear, emotion thick in her voice. Clearly she’d been upset and crying and from the sound of it, she couldn’t be blamed for it. 

Scarlett couldn’t help but wonder why anyone in their right mind would go after Pepper. Of course, it would be an obvious way for an enemy of Iron Man to get to Tony but most people didn’t seem to be concerned with her enough to make her a target. It seemed that most of Tony’s enemies were all egotists and went after the man himself instead of his companions. Had one of his enemies gotten smart and finally started using the few people Tony cared about against him? On top of that, why did Scarlett feel _guilty_ about it having happened? It must have been the alcohol.

“If they grabbed you in the club then how’d you get to a phone, Pepper? What’s happening now?” Tony put a hand on Scarlett’s shoulder, clearly thinking she was far more upset than she actually was. Scarlett wondered if she looked scared but made no attempt to clear up the confusion. Any positive assumptions he made about her would only work to her ultimate goal.

“Happy.” There was something like a smile in her voice. “He followed after the men who had taken me, had grabbed a fire extinguisher and was able to get me away from the men in the suits with some quick thinking.”

“Good, damn good job Hogan!” Tony smirked, knowing there was more to the story, but proud of his driver and friend for having saved Pepper.

“We hid in the darkness of the club while they searched for us. They kept asking cryptic questions that we didn’t understand! Tony, they weren’t sure if they should keep chasing after us since they were looking for someone else.” Tony didn’t seem surprised by this when Pepper spoke.

“They were probably looking for me, and when I wasn’t there went after you in hopes of getting to me. I was afraid something like this would happen someday. Pepper, did you happen catch any of what they said? Anything that would let on to what they wanted from me?”

“Tony, I really don’t think they were after you!” Pepper interrupted his train of thought, sounding irritated.

“Of course, they’re looking for me Pepper. I’m Iron Man. Who else would they be looking for? We’ve been through this nearly a thousand times, some things you just have to let my ego win, Potts.”

“No you’re not listening to me! I think they were looking for Scarlett _not_ you.” Pepper sounded annoyed with Tony’s assumptions.

“What?” Scarlett’s mouth hung open in surprise. How could this be? Who would know she was there in Malibu? Was someone looking for her? Scarlett had made many enemies over the years but the only one she could think of that would be mad enough to pursue her to this extent was MedCo. Besides, they were likely the only ones who had any idea she’d been taken away by Iron Man. Scarlett then remembered that Tony was in charge of MedCo. Had he staged this so she would trust him?

“They kept talking about a ‘ _her_ ’, and unless that’s some new persona you’re spreading around Tony, I don’t think you’re very feminine at all!”

“You’re right, I look terrible in drag.” Tony’s grip tightened on Scarlett’s shoulder causing her to finally push it off of her. Scarlett wasn’t sure if he was holding onto her to make sure she didn’t run away or if he was trying to protect her. Either reason didn’t sit well enough with her to let it continue. He didn’t seem to argue with her much over it. “What happened? Where are you now?”

“We crept out of the club as quickly as we could manage after more men in black came into the building, searching for this mystery woman. I didn’t think it was safe for us to stay there and I knew we should get back to the mansion then try to contact you. We couldn’t get out the front door to where our car was still parked by the curb because they had it blocked, so we decided to go out through the kitchen doors. After that we found the valet parking lot. The car that you must have abandoned there before you went wherever you are now was still hanging around there.”

“Smart move Pepper. Are you still there in the parking lot? What was all that screaming about when I picked up?” Tony started to pace the room, every so often glancing at Scarlett to make sure she wasn’t making a move toward the door. Scarlett had no intentions of running away. She wanted to find out what had happened to Pepper and Happy and help them out if she could. If someone was coming after her in particular, she had no reason to run away. She wasn’t the type to hide from her aggressors.

“No, we couldn’t stay there, Tony! It wasn’t worth the risk of being caught. They were starting to spread out and search the area for any signs of us. Since they couldn’t find the woman they were looking for they were searching for me instead. Tony, they must have known to look for you in order to find this girl. It has to be Scarlett! I told you that she was too much trouble. I told you she was dangerous!” Tony held up his hand in objection, not that Pepper could see that he was doing it.

“Just… we’ll talk about that later, okay. Where are you now if not in the valet parking lot with my car?” Tony continued on, but could see the guilt written all over Scarlett’s face when he looked toward her. Scarlett didn’t want Pepper and Happy to get hurt in the midst of all the chaos she was the center of. She wanted Tony to get what was coming to him, no one else needed to be involved. Someone had just changed the game entirely.

“Happy has the master keys to your cars so we got into your Audi and drove out of there as quickly as we could! I called you once we were in the car and I thought we were safe. They crashed right into the car on our way out of the lot, Tony. They knew which car to look for, how is that possible? Who has been following you?”

“Someone did their homework, apparently Pepper. My car collection can be publically accessed online thanks to that car show we attended last spring.” Tony grimaced, pushing his hand through his hair, which bounced back into place thanks to the hair gel he’d used earlier to style it.

“I called and then dropped the phone when they hit us! I hadn’t gotten the chance to put my seatbelt on before it happened. We’re being chased right now on the highway. We’re not sure where to go, we can’t lead them back to your house.” Pepper pulled the phone away to say something to Happy. It sounded to them like he was trying to tell her that he’d lost their pursuers. “Tony, what do we do? I need you to tell me what to do next because I’m scared! Where are you? Maybe we can come to you.”

“Pepper, can you tell me what the people pursuing you looked like? What did these men in black suits look like? When they spoke did they have any accents? It’s important. I need to know.” Scarlett interrupted, trying to narrow down who it could be in her mind. Had the Russian man come back for her?

Before Pepper could respond there was a terrible crunching sound on the other side of the phone. Scarlett covered her ears. Pepper screamed, loudly at first and then the sound became distant, like she’d dropped the phone again.

“Pepper! Pepper what’s happening? Pepper! Answer me!” Tony shouted into the phone in a panic. The connection to Pepper’s phone died and the cell phone returned to the home screen. “God damnit!” Glancing over at Scarlett, Tony looked worried for a second, but then turned instantly back to his phone. He dialed Pepper’s number repeatedly in hopes that she would pick up and tell him that they had just hit an unexpected speed bump but no one answered the many times that he tried.

Scarlett had expected to see blame in Tony’s eyes for what had happened to his friends, but was truly surprised to find nothing more than concern and worry. Why wasn’t he angry with her for having put them in harm’s way? If these men were searching for her and knew she was with Tony then her continued presence there would put them all at risk. The people who ran MedCo weren’t garden variety criminals, they were organized gangsters and willing to do anything for the things they desired.

“She’s not answering.” Tony furrowed his brow and pocketed his phone. Tapping his fingers against his leg he contemplated what to do next. Hurrying toward the door he grabbed Scarlett’s wrist and urged her to go with him. Picking up his phone again nervously, he didn’t dial anything but rather simply spoke into it. “Jarvis, get the garage ready. I’ll be there in five.”

“Yes, sir.” Jarvis spoke from the handset.

“Stark, I’m helping you.” Scarlett twisted her hand from his grip. Tony stopped very suddenly and looked at her with panic stricken eyes.

“No way.” Tony shook his head, walking out through the restaurant, handing a bundle of cash to the waiter on the way through. “Keep the change.” The waiter was stunned by the amount of money he’d been handed without question.

“If they’re after me then I might be able to recognize them and know how to put a stop to whatever they’re trying to do!” Scarlett argued, walking closely behind him out of the restaurant. Tony hailed a cab on the side of the road and opened the back door for her once it’d come to a stop.

“Get in.” Tony nodded to her. Scarlett sighed in irritation then got into the car. Tony got in after her. “I will pay you triple what the meter runs if you break every speed limit and get me home as quickly as possible. It’s an emergency. I’ll take care of any tickets you might get if we’re pulled over.” Tony flashed cash at the driver who nodded his head eagerly and slammed his foot onto the gas pedal. It was hard to say no to Tony Stark when he was waving a huge wad of cash around.

Scarlett slid on the seat in surprise when the cab took off like a bullet and braced herself against the door. Tony grabbed her arm to steady her and keep her from flying around.

“You’re going to stay at the house and wait for me. I’m going after Pepper and Happy on my own.”

“I can help you Stark, if you just let me. I might be able to identify them and I’m pretty handy in these situations!” Frustrated, Scarlett pushed him off of her arm but then slid over to the opposite door of the cab a second time. Grabbing onto the handle on the ceiling she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Yeah either that or you can be used against me if they grab you so you are going to stay at the house where I know you’ll be safe!” Tony was fiddling with his phone. Scarlett tried to peek over so she could see what he was doing but he was hiding the screen from her for whatever reason. He didn’t want her to get into unnecessary trouble. That was why he worked solo. Partners were just people he would have to look after like a babysitter.

“I can take care of myself and you know that very well. Or at least I thought you would after tonight.”

“I know you can take care of yourself Scarlett, but you are incapacitated in case you forgot!” Tony purposely reached across her lap and grabbed at her leg. She covered her mouth to prevent howling in pain from the sudden contact with her wound, seeing stars in her vision. Having nearly forgotten about how she’d been burned so severely thanks to the alcohol she’d consumed in the restaurant with Tony, she was truly surprised to feel that sort of pain. Shoving his hand away she grabbed her leg and hunched over it, trying to catch her breath which suddenly felt impossible.

“See? That’s what I mean. One wrong move from you or one touch from one of these guys chasing you and you’re down for the count. Scarlett, _if_ they’re after you then the last thing I’m going to do is hand you over to them. I don’t care how much you dislike me or how annoying you are, I’m not turning you over to a bunch of thugs.” Tony spoke clearly in an authoritative manner. Sitting up, but feeling incredibly fatigued from the sudden rush of pain, Scarlett went to speak but the cab turned again sharply, forcing her to slide straight into Tony who grabbed her to secure her as he was pushed into the door of the cab.

“I can handle myself even when I’m injured.” Scarlett looked up at him without moving away from him. “I know my weaknesses, Stark and I can stay out of the line of fire if you just give me the chance to help. You can distract them while I get Pepper and Happy out of there safely. If they’re after me then this is _my_ fault and I’m responsible for it, not you. I need to help you with this Stark, please.” Scarlett was hoping to plead to the same man who had tried to kiss her in the restaurant. It was manipulative, definitely, but Tony didn’t have to know that it was all a manipulation to satisfy her curiosity. At least that’s what Scarlett was telling herself.

Glancing down at her, Tony seemed to struggle internally with the idea of letting her help him. On one hand he wanted to see what she was capable of and what kind of strength she possessed but in the same breath he was terrified that they’d take her away from him and he wouldn’t be there to save her. Not that he wanted her to stay for any reasons other than to find out what had happened in Africa. At least that’s what _he_ was telling himself at the current moment. After what had happened between them in the restaurant, he wasn’t sure what his reasons were for keeping her around anymore.

“Fine,” he relented with a deep exhale of the breath he’d been holding. “But you’re going to listen to my directions and do what I ask you to do. If you step one toe out of line I’ll subdue you just like I’d do with Pepper and Happy, got it?”

“Fine, but that only works until my leg heals, Stark. I’m good at what I do and I don’t need a babysitter.” Scarlett hadn’t meant to phrase it quite like that, but it left Tony wondering just how extreme her skill set was. He knew after the story she’d told in the restaurant that she’d been some kind of assassin for hire, for lack of a better word, but he was still having a hard time seeing it in her. Then again, he knew he was blinded by the fact that she was a good-looking woman. It had been the same way when he’d first met Natasha Romanoff. He’d had a hard time believing that she was capable of doing any harm until he’d witnessed it firsthand.

“That’s fine, Scarlett I’m just trying to keep everyone safe.” Tony grimaced, the weight of what was happening making his shoulders sink. He wrapped an arm around her to brace her when the cab stopped very abruptly in front of his mansion. Tony paid the driver what he’d promised, thanked him for his services then hurried out of the backseat with Scarlett in tow.

The two entered the mansion, greeted by Jarvis overhead.

“Sir, the Mark VII is ready for deployment downstairs.”

“Thanks Jarvis.” Tony started toward the garage, pulling off his bowtie and tossing it onto the floor. “Scarlett, you need to get into something else. Pepper was getting your clothes before we left so there should be something better for you to wear upstairs.”

“Not the first time I’d be fighting in a short skirt, Stark.” Scarlett rolled her eyes but hurried up the stairs, doing her best not to limp but by the time she got ten steps up it was unavoidable. Tony had made her incredibly aware of the pain she’d been suffering in the cab and now that she’d felt it, it was hard to ignore. Cursing under her breath she hurried to get changed in the guest room, which was one of the only things she was able to easily locate in the mansion since she’d never been given an official tour of the place.

Tony hurried downstairs to his garage that doubled as his laboratory, tossing his sport coat onto his desk and walking onto the panel on the floor that had already been separated, prepared for him to get into his suit. The yellow robotic arms of the suit up gantry emerged from the floor, accompanied by the mechanical whirs they created. The pieces of the Mark VII easily snapped together onto Tony’s body, leaving only the mask on his face left to seal shut before he would be ready to fly into action. Tony had engineered the suit to come on and off at ease and at remarkable speeds. Turning back toward his desk, he kept the helmet of his suit open.

“Jarvis, lockdown the guest room for me,” Tony spoke. “Show me security footage of the room and let me communicate with Scarlett.” In the video of the room that had popped up on Jarvis’ holographic screen he didn’t see Scarlett in view of the camera and assumed that she’d gone into the bathroom to get changed. He still thought that was incredibly smart on her part, but also disappointing. “Scarlett, come here for a second.”

“Stark?” Scarlett had barely started to get undressed and walked back into the guest bedroom from the bathroom, the only thing undone being zipper on the side of her dress.

“Bring me up on a screen for her to see.” Tony ordered Jarvis around. Scarlett was surprised when a holographic screen of Tony in front of his computer in the Mark VII had popped up near the ceiling for her to communicate with. Before he could explain what his intentions were, Scarlett seemed to figure it out.

“Oh no you don’t Stark!” Scarlett hurried to the door of the guest room and tugged on the knob only to find it steadfastly shut. Shoving her weight against it she did her best to try and knock it off of the frame.

“Don’t bother bashing into it, it’s reinforced. The entire house is so don’t think about breaking the windows either, got it? You’re just wasting your strength,” Tony said in frustration.

“You ass hat! You told me I could help you with this! You’re a goddamned liar! I should’ve known better than to take your word for anything.” Scarlett continued to shove at the door, wanting nothing more than to get her hands on Tony that moment and knock him in the head or maybe strangle him until he turned purple.

“It’s for your own protection, Scarlett. I can’t have you out there in harm’s way. I already have two hostages I need to save from those men and the last thing I need is for you to make it three.”

“Oh, you arrogant prick. I’m not some damsel in distress who needs saving.” Scarlett practically snarled, walking back to the hologram of Tony so she could let him see just how angry she was.

“Call me whatever you want, I’m doing this to keep you _safe_.”

“ _Keep me safe?_ I have spent my entire life keeping myself safe and I don’t need some big strong man in hot rod colored armor with an ego the size of California to come and save me now! You are so goddamn presumptuous about every little thing! Not everyone needs you to guide them and I certainly don’t! Let me the hell out of here right now Stark or you are going to regret leaving me alone in your house.” Scarlett clenched her fists, seeing nothing but red in front of her.

“I won’t be long.” Tony looked away from the computer screen and signaled the helmet of his suit to close. “Jarvis, turn off the cameras. Don’t let her go anywhere. She can have food, water, healing supplies but you do not let her have access to anything else. Leave security at the highest level and keep the cameras focused on the entrances and her. That’s it. Got it?”

“Yes, sir. She is hitting the door rather hard. When she breaks her wrist on the door, should I call for medical assistance?” Tony could never tell when his robot was being sarcastic and half wondered why he programmed the home’s glorified butler to be just like him.

“Just talk her out of smashing her wrist against the door okay? Don’t let her trick you. She’s sneaky.” Tony smirked then adjusted the settings of the Iron Man suit. “Open the garage, make it ready for flight. I’m out of here.”

“Yes, sir.” Jarvis prepared the house for Tony’s exit and then turned his focus on the guest room where Scarlett was still screaming and cursing Tony’s name while trying to get out of the bedroom. “Miss Damien I do suggest you try your best to calm down before you cause yourself any harm.”

“Calm down? _Calm down!_ ” Scarlett shouted in frustration then paced the floor, stopping pulling on the doorknob. Jarvis was right. She was wasting the little energy she had trying to break down a door that wasn’t going to go anywhere without a blowtorch or a good hacking job. Even then, Scarlett didn’t see controls of any sort that would allow her to hack into Tony’s computer system.

“Yes, madam. Can I offer you a nice warm brandy to calm your nerves?” Jarvis spoke politely still. Scarlett doubted that he was programmed to have a temper of any kind. “Upon reading your blood alcohol content I’m going to have to advise against the brandy offer and perhaps offer you some warm bread and a nice glass of sparkling water instead.”

“Jarvis, I don’t want anything to eat or drink! I want to go help Pepper and Happy and save them from whatever mess I may have gotten them into.”

“I’m sorry but Mr. Stark has advised against this.”

“You can’t let me out?” Scarlett pleaded with the computer, resting her hand against the wall, which much to her surprise warmed up with her touch.

“I’m sorry but Mr. Stark has advised against this.” Jarvis repeated after a quiet moment. Scarlett pulled her hand away from the wall and sat down on the comfortable bed. She had no phone, she had no computer and little to no personal belongings to keep her occupied. It would’ve been the perfect time to hack Tony’s computer system but there was no way for her to access Jarvis other than with her voice and she was sure Tony’s security was far too tight for her to sneak in by vocal command alone.

“I am truly sorry, Miss Damien. I’m having the chef prepare you some fresh bread regardless.”

“It’s okay, Jarvis. I appreciate it. I could use it to sober up anyway.”

Closing her eyes she touched her hand to her forehead. Scott had already died because of her foolish behavior. If Pepper and Happy were killed for the same reason she wasn’t sure she could continue living with herself without losing her mind. 

She thought about the moment she’d shared with Tony in the restaurant and how close they’d come to kissing. Had she actually _wanted_ to kiss him? Was it the alcohol? Had it been the illusion of safety he’d managed to create for her? Whatever it was, now that he wasn’t in the room with her it didn’t feel toxic and her level head had returned. She’d betrayed everything she’d stood for in the restaurant and would do her best to keep it from happening again.

The last thing she wanted was to kiss Tony Stark. She wanted to kick him in the balls for trapping her in his guest room when she could help him save the friends she’d gotten into trouble in the first place. She wanted, more than that, to find out if he’d been behind what happened to her with MedCo.

Somehow, she’d started to doubt that he was. Too much didn’t make sense. Tony’s own men wouldn’t attack his friends. Then again, it could be why he didn’t want her to come.

“Jarvis, how’s Scarlett handling being trapped in that room?” Tony spoke into his helmet as he flew out of the garage. He didn’t feel guilty for keeping her locked up. It was for her protection.

“She’s stopped pounding on the door now, sir. But I do think you hurt her feelings by not including her in your little plan.”

“Hurt her feelings? By keeping her safe? Don’t worry Jarvis, she doesn’t have enough feelings to hurt. She’ll get over it.”

“Of course she will, sir.” Jarvis agreed with his owner, but once again Tony couldn’t tell if he was being sardonic or serious.

“When did I program you to be an ass?” Tony spoke after a moment.

“The moment you built me, sir,” Jarvis answered simply.

“Right. Okay, I need you to do something for me, Jarvis.” Tony scanned the ground in front of him in search of his car on the highway. The night sky was overcast, which he was hoping would provide him with some cover.

“Ready when you are, sir.”

“I need you to pick up the GPS signal from the chip I installed in Pepper’s phone a few weeks back and triangulate her location if you can. If not, then try to locate my car if it’s still functioning. I need you to find out what the police reports from the club I went to earlier are saying about the incident Pepper described. After you’re done with that I need you to get one of the drivers to come and get the car that Happy left in front of the club, if the coast is clear of course. Just make sure the damn thing isn’t impounded.” Tony spoke easily. Jarvis didn’t respond. 

“Set the local police scanners to play in the background please.” With that command a buzzing radio sound started up in the background quietly, reporting several things he was uninterested in. If there had been any reports, Tony had either missed them or was on the wrong channel. “Damnit.”

“Hoping to find news of the accident Ms. Potts and Mr. Hogan were in, sir?” Jarvis guessed. Maps appeared inside of the Mark VII helmet’s visor and focused inward continually until a small blip on the map appeared in front of him.

“How’d you guess? Nothing on the radio waves yet. It means the cops aren’t on sight or haven’t been called. Set my coordinates to the signal on screen, please.” Tony focused on the area below him, watching as his targeting system brought up potential threats and things he needed to avoid. So far, Tony couldn’t clearly see anything suspect even though the spot on the radar was getting closer and closer to him.

“It appears that the car rolled off the highway and down a hill into a dry drainage ditch, sir.” Jarvis spoke as they got closer to the sight of the car crash. Tony could see the dust settling from the crash and felt the worry growing in his stomach. What if they hadn’t survived the crash? Happy was a skilled driver, but there were some things that were beyond even his control.

“Lower the thrusters, set sound on stealth mode. I don’t want to be heard before I’m seen if those men in suits are nearby.” Tony instructed, spotting the smoking wreckage of his Audi lying upside down on the grass far off the highway. 

A black SUV was parked on the shoulder of the highway near the wreckage. He spotted on his radar several people walking around on the ground below near the sport utility vehicle. “Focus in on those heat signatures, check to see if their armed and keep an eye on them.” Tony closed in on the scene of the crash.

“Bring up the backup camera on the Audi.”

Footage appeared in a box to his left from Tony’s Audi. While the camera in the back of the car was cracked it still showed an image of what was happening behind the car through the smoke and kicked up dust.

“I don’t see Pepper or Hogan down there. Are they still in the car? Can you tell?”

“No, they are no longer in the vehicle, sir. I am unsure of what the locations of Mr. Hogan and Ms. Potts are at the current moment. Perhaps they’re hiding.”

“Damn, keep an eye out for them. Jarvis, those men in black suits…” Tony narrowed his eyes at the blurry picture in front of him hoping he could recognize a symbol on their suits or on their car; anything that would give them away. “Zoom in from the Audi and give me a headcount.”

“There are four men in black suits within range, both armed but with what I cannot tell with the current data available. It appears to be small caliber weapons.” Jarvis responded after a moment was given for him to process the footage.

“Fine, small caliber rounds I can handle. I’m going in. Charge the repulsors on low, don’t go for a kill but merely a knock out. If we can find out who sent these guys then we’ll be one step ahead. They look like a cleanup crew.” Tony instructed, targeting one of the men closest to the wreckage. Flying low he signaled the Mark VII to slow down drastically so he wouldn’t destroy the man in black when he grabbed him off the ground.

Coming out of the sky like a shot he grabbed onto the man who screamed in surprise. By the time he’d heard him coming it had been too late. Tony felt the impact from some kind of weapon from behind that knocked him and the man he held straight to the ground. Whatever had shot him was nothing like a regular bullet, or at least any kind Tony had experience with. And if anyone knew weapons, it was Tony Stark. It had caused some sort of electronic blast that sent shocks throughout his suit and over his body. For a moment the Mark VII had malfunctioned but just as quickly as it’d stopped, it’d started back up again.

“What the hell was that?” Tony cursed, but kept his grip on the man in front of him once he’d gained control of his suit. The captured man was trying to push the heavy suit off of him to no avail. “Target weaponry, Jarvis.” Circular targets appeared inside the man’s coat within Tony’s. In a second, small rounds fired from the shoulders of Tony’s suit and destroyed the weapons the man he had tackled had been carrying. 

Standing up and holding his hostage by the back of his suit jacket, Tony held his other hand behind him using the suits holographic mapping system for guidance.

“Target.” Without the need to look, he blasted the repulsor ray of his right hand toward the weapons that the man who had shot him on his way down was holding. He heard the small explosion behind him and a cry in pain.

“Nice shot sir.”

“Thanks Jarvis. Microphone on.” Tony didn’t have to wait for Jarvis to respond before he spoke. “Where are Pepper and Happy? What have you done with them?” The man in his arms merely struggled to get away and cursed at him in what Tony recognized as Russian.

“I said: where are Pepper and Happy?” Tony took both hands of the suit and wrapped them around the man’s neck menacingly. “Tell me now!”

“I do not… do not know!” The man spoke in broken English, trying to get his point across. “We have not captured anyone!”

“Looks like he’s willing to talk under the right circumstances.” Tony smirked underneath his mask. Faintly in the background he could hear the police scanner picking up reports of an accident on the highway and for an available unit to respond. “Jarvis try and stall law enforcement until I’m done here.”

“Yes sir.” Jarvis responded. “Sir, I suggest you turn around.” Tony did so just in time when a second jolt of electricity hit him smack in the chest. He coughed and stumbled as the blindingly painful sensation coursed through his every limb. Without realizing he’d done so, he’d tightened his grip on the man in his arms and fallen to one knee.

The blow had forced the suit to fly back several feet, leaving deep grooves in the dirt. Surprised by the sheer force of the blow, Tony tried to shake off the feeling of being electrocuted but his fingers were tingling and he tasted blood in the back of his throat.

“What the hell is that thing, Jarvis?” Tony coughed, realizing that something was caught in his throat as he spoke. He had the urge to spit, but nowhere for it to go.

“I do not know, sir. It’s like no weapon I’ve ever seen. It looks like a mere handgun from what I can tell but it is firing some sort of electronic pulse.”

“Don’t let me forget to take one of those home with us.” Tony stood back up and signaled his suit to follow commands again. “Charge netting, buy me a few moments with this guy alone. I have a few questions to ask.” From his forearm several small red beads flew out to hit their target on the ground in front of the men firing at him. After they hit the ground red lasers emerged high into the sky and connected, creating an electronic net between him and the men taking shots with the weapon that seemed to devastate the Mark VII. “Why are my shields crashing?” Tony muttered.

“The electronic weapon damaged your shield systems. I’m attempting a repair sir but it may take several moments.” Jarvis spoke calmly. “In the meantime, do try not to get shot if you can.”

“Thanks for that, Jarvis.” Tony was out of breath from the attacks, but turned back to the man who was pale and looked terrified. “What are you doing here? Why are you attacking my friends? What do you want?” Tony put on his best threatening voice, which wasn’t that hard in his current mood.

“We are not here for you, Tony Stark.” The man choked on his words. Tony felt lucky that he’d grabbed someone who seemed so skittish and terrified.

“Then who or what are you here for? What are you doing? Tell me! If you’re not after me then why are you chasing my people?” When the Russian man opened his mouth to speak, a shot rang out behind him. The bullet tore through Tony’s hostage’s head, blood splashing all over Tony’s helmet and the remnants of the bullet pounding into the suit. Tony immediately dropped the dead man and stumbled back in surprise from the force of the blow.

“Wipe mask.” The Mark VII cleaned itself off and Tony scanned the area for threats and found that one of the men on top of the hill near the SUV had fired a shot with a rifle at one of his own men, presumably to keep him from talking.

“I don’t like this, sir,” Jarvis warned.

“Me neither, Jarvis. Thrusters.” The Mark VII took off into the air again at his command. Tony flew up to the SUV and landed on the highway after doing a flip in the air to turn around. Feeling the bullet shells immediately hit his suit, Tony merely absorbed the blows as they came. The suit could withstand most gunfire to a certain extent.

Crouching down he grabbed onto the bottom of the SUV near the driver’s side door and lifted it easily. He then shoved the vehicle over and down the side of the hill, forcing those hiding behind it to either dive to the side or take cover in the tumbling SUV. It landed at the bottom of the hill in a heap of crunched up metal and started steaming immediately.

“Fasten your seatbelts, assholes!” Tony shouted, looking around for the men who had been shooting at him. Stomping toward them in the heavy suit he watched them trying to back down the hill away from him in fear. There were four left now that he could see, not including if there had been any men left in the SUV that he’d sent tumbling down the hill. Jarvis’ count hadn’t been able to include any remaining men hiding in the vehicle initially so the total was unknown to him.

Deciding that stomping toward his enemies would take too long, Tony flew headfirst into the nearest man, grabbed the gun he carried and crushed it easily. The man screamed in fear, so Tony threw him on the ground. Without his weapon he wasn’t much of a threat to him at all. In fact, he looked terrified of Tony.

“Time to put him to sleep, Jarvis.” Tony held his hand near the face of the man he’d thrown to the ground. Without a response, gas came out of the fingertips of the Mark VII and the man Tony had unarmed fell unconscious with a single inhale.

Tony got back to his feet and assessed the situation at hand. Rising into the air, he held out both hands and aimed at the remaining men. “Non lethal attacks, come on Jarvis. Let’s end this. I’m tired of dicking around with these idiots.”

“Yes, sir…” Jarvis’ voice mutated and suddenly faded and before Tony could understand what was happening the Iron Man suit shut down completely and crashed to the ground like an anchor. It slid into the dirt from the momentum and flipped over and over much like the SUV Tony had just thrown down the hill.

“What is happening?” Tony yelled but got no response from Jarvis. The arc reactor was still functioning why wasn’t his suit? He couldn’t see without any power, he couldn’t hear what was going on outside of him or move to try and get to cover.

Tony Stark was a sitting duck, weighed down beneath a suit he had no hope in lifting without the hydraulics he’d built into it.


	12. Bad Liquor

Rage wasn’t exactly the proper adjective Scarlett would’ve used to describe the fury that she was feeling. After ten minutes she’d given up on getting through the door by using sheer force. Since then she’d begun to search the room for a way to get through wall to access the wiring for the security that Tony had built into the room. Jarvis had, of course, advised her against this particular method of escape since it involved disabling him, but hadn’t warned her so severely that it had discouraged her. When it came down to it, Scarlett _knew_ there was no way for her to hack the security system from her current location and without further knowledge of the system itself. She wasn’t prepared to reveal her entire hand to Tony Stark just yet, who would inevitably come back to find out what she’d done and just what she was capable of.

After a few moments left contemplating other means of escape, Scarlett had considered giving up. What harm would it do her to simply wait in the comfortable guest room for Tony to return? It’d be something that she could hold over his head when their friendship started to get sticky, which she was sure was unavoidable. But Scarlett wasn’t the type to sit idly by and wait out certain danger while some man in a suit of armor insisted upon protecting her. It was an extremely chauvinist thing that Tony had done and while she wasn’t the sparkling example of feminism at its best, she definitely didn’t _need_ Tony or any other man to keep her safe or to decide what was best for her. Scarlett believed she was a valuable asset in dangerous situations and not being able to help Tony in this one, particularly when it seemed to involve her, was eating her alive. Granted, she was almost positive that Tony wasn’t willing to give her a weapon to protect herself with when he wasn’t sure he could trust her with it.

Unsure of what else to do, Scarlett sat down on the wooden floor with her back leaning against the bed. She watched her feet for a few moments then stared out the window in front of her and into the ocean. The dark waves seemed far more sinister and chilling now that the sun had disappeared. How had the same thing calmed her nerves earlier in the day? A soft whirring sound overhead drew her attention away from the ocean. A panel from the ceiling slid slowly open and a tray descended on a metallic arm holding a plate of freshly sliced pumpernickel bread on it with a side of various dips and spreads. Scarlett stared skeptically at the plate now hovering next to her then after hesitating, removed it from the tray. The metallic arm quickly returned to the space in the ceiling, the open panel slipping back into place and becoming nearly unnoticeable.

She considered trying to pry open the panel to climb through it and out of the room. But what dangerous things were hidden in the walls of the Malibu mansion? It was a terrible plan and was quickly abandoned. The only other thing Scarlett could think to do was find something she could use to break the window and rappel down the cliff side. Watching the waves, she quickly realized just how dangerous it would be to do so without proper supplies. 

“Well, there goes that idea.” Scarlett turned her attention away from the window and looked down at the plate of delicious smelling bread in her hand. It looked freshly baked; warm and inviting. Tearing off a piece of the bread, she stuffed it in her mouth in annoyance. She’d expected a waiter or something similar to come to the door with the bread for her to eat. When he’d opened the door she planned on breaking out of the room when the opportunity had arisen. Scarlett should’ve guessed that wouldn’t work out so easily.

“Sorry, Miss Damien but I couldn’t risk opening the door for you for more personal service.” Jarvis spoke, as though he’d known exactly what she’d been considering when he’d offered to bring her some freshly made bread.

“You’re really very clever, Jarvis.” It was hard not to smile when she realized that the damn computer system had figured out what she was planning. “I wouldn’t have opened the door for me either.”

“I’m glad you understand, considering the circumstances.” Jarvis fell silent after that while Scarlett continued to nibble on the bread. If nothing else, at least the food she’d been give was good and would help her continue to sober up.

Why couldn’t she bring herself to just sleep through what was happening? After the day she’d had and the days prior to it spent in captivity in the desert, that she was only remembering in bits and pieces at this point, she deserved more than a good night’s rest in an adequate bed. If Tony wanted her to stay locked away in his tower for the night then she might as well take advantage of the situation and the incredibly plush furnishings. Somehow it wasn’t that easy for her to take the current situation lying down. Scarlett partially hoped that when Tony returned he’d be bloody and pained simply so she could harass him about it. It would be nice to rub it in his face that if she’d been there with him then she could’ve helped him and prevented it from happening.

Feeling restless, she decided to get up from her seat on the floor. Setting the plate of bread down on the nightstand, she laid down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her leg was throbbing again. After Tony had grabbed it so roughly in the car to prove his point it hadn’t properly recovered. Reaching down to itch at the gauze covering the wound, she wondered what other neat tricks Jarvis could perform if asked. He’d delivered her food, so what else could he do for her?

“Can you at least tell me what Stark’s doing out there without me?” Scarlett asked after a moment. Coffee had been the first thing she’d considered, but instead she’d asked that. Having laid down with every intention of trying to forget about the grossly unfair situation she’d been thrust into, she wondered how the hell she’d betrayed her intentions so quickly. No matter what she seemed to try, she couldn’t stop thinking about what she was missing. Were Pepper and Happy okay? It sounded like they’d been in some kind of terrible car accident. What villain had come after them so viciously? Were the men in black Pepper described _actually_ looking for her or was it all just a game designed to confuse Tony? He had far more enemies than she did, so what were the chances this was one of hers? How would anyone have known she was with Tony in the first place?

“Mr. Stark is searching for the site of the car accident Mr. Hogan and Miss Potts were a part of.” Jarvis responded after a moment of quiet contemplation, or processing considering he wasn’t human.

“Has he had any luck yet?”

“Miss Damien, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Mr. Stark has advised you remain neutral to this situation.”

“You _know_ that I can’t remain neutral, Jarvis.” Scarlett sat up on the bed, rubbing the gauze in irritation on her leg. “If these people are after me, I deserve to know what’s going on.”

“I’m sure that Mr. Stark will fill you in on the particulars of the situation upon his return.” Jarvis reassured, though Scarlett doubted that was the truth. That information would be added onto the list of things that Tony would have to hold over her head. After what had happened between the two in the restaurant, she was unsure if she could actually go through with her plan without becoming attached. Liking him had never been part of her plan. Of course, if she ended up having to sleep with him then it would at least be a nice bonus rather than something to scar her further. But what if she became _too_ attached? She wondered if it was even worth the risk at this point. There could be other ways for her to gain his trust and manipulate him without having to put herself in emotional turmoil. Not that she wasn’t already an emotional wreck.

“You know he won’t do that, Jarvis.” Scarlett swung her legs carefully off the side of the bed and looked out the window at the ocean once more in hopes of finding clarity. Something wasn’t sitting right with her and it wasn’t _just_ the fact that she was trapped in the guest room of the Stark mansion after all that had happened. Her stomach was churning like it did in the past when she’d found herself in impossible situations and unsure of how to escape. She was perfectly safe now, there was no reason for her to be feeling so out of it. Resting her hand over her stomach tenderly, she glanced down at her fingers. Was the upset from the alcohol she’d consumed? Scarlett doubted it. She’d feel the hangover in the morning for sure, but not at the current moment when she was still so pumped with adrenaline. The bigger scheme of her plans for Scott and MedCo would have to wait until after she dealt with her current unrest.

Something wasn’t right. Whatever was happening out on the highway with Tony, Scarlett _knew_ she was supposed to be out there with him to help. Instead, she was trapped inside the guest room, absolutely helpless and ignorant to the situation.

“I have a bad feeling, Jarvis.” Scarlett finally looked up at the ceiling, speaking to the computer once more. Maybe she could appeal to his loyalty to his boss. “I have a _really_ bad feeling.”

“Should I get you some ginger ale, Miss Damien? Or perhaps a club soda?” The computer took a moment to process her request.

“No, it’s not _that_ kind of feeling. I don’t feel sick.” Scarlett stood up, pushed her unruly hair away from her face, allowing her hand stay tangled in it as she looked out the window in quiet deliberation. Grimacing she turned to look at the door again. “You have to let me out of this room. I promise you that I won’t go chasing after Tony on the highway but if you let me downstairs to access a computer then I can at least try to help from here.”

“Mr. Stark has instructed that you stay…”

“I don’t _care_ what Mr. Stark asked you to do, Jarvis!” Scarlett shouted in frustration. Stifling her confusing worry, she bit her lip and took a deep breath. Something was terribly wrong. She couldn’t explain how she knew something was wrong, but she knew it without a doubt. There had to be a way she could help even if it was from the mansion. The computer system overhead didn’t respond. She wondered if it was wrong for her to consider that he was weighing the pros and cons of her request.

“I know you don’t trust me Jarvis because I know that Tony doesn’t trust me.” Scarlett finally used the first name of the man that she’d been avoiding so severely. He wasn’t there with her, so she didn’t see the harm in using it. “Hell, I don’t blame either of you for not trusting me. I made it so hard to find out anything about my past that for all you know I’m a serial killer in some foreign country. But, what you can know for certain is that situations like the one Tony is getting himself into are dangerous.” Half expecting Jarvis to tell her that dangerous situations were Mr. Stark’s specialty, Scarlett was surprised when he didn’t respond. Maybe he needed more convincing.

“Jarvis, if these people are after me then Tony has _no_ idea what he’s up against because I refuse to tell him. There’s only one group of people I can think who would be after me and they would blow Tony’s brains out without hesitation if they thought it would get to me. Not to mention what they would do to Pepper and Happy…” Scarlett felt her stomach churn again. What the hell was happening to her? This guilt she was experiencing was horrendous. What happened to the vile woman with little to no conscience who traveled the eastern hemisphere doing the nasty jobs that others avoided? Ignoring the thought once again, Scarlett continued with her convincing to the best of her ability. Even if it was fruitless, at least she’d tried to talk her way into helping.

“I know he’s worried about me even if I argue that he’s not. He thinks that he’s keeping me safe by locking me up in this room so no one can find me but I can help him. Even if you just let me downstairs, I can help. I might be able to find out more about what he’s up against. I might even be able to provide some backup from here. I promise, I won’t leave the mansion and I won’t even dig around in your files for information on Tony… I just want to see what’s going on and help if I can.” Scarlett was unsure if she was talking for no reason or if the computer was really considering letting her out. “Please, Jarvis? I’m practically begging here.” Before Scarlett had finished speaking the door to her room unlocked and swung open. Mouth hanging open, Scarlett stared in awe.

The computer had _disobeyed_ Tony’s orders. How dangerous was it that he’d created artificial intelligence that could use its best judgment in these situations? Deciding she’d take this for what it was she hurried toward the door. There would be plenty of time later to consider the dangers of robotic mutiny later.

“You won’t regret this, Jarvis. Boot up the computers downstairs if you can. At least the ones you’ll let me access to try and help.” Hurrying out of the room, she stopped abruptly and doubled back into the doorway. “I’d hug you if I could.”

“Thank you Miss Damien.” The computer responded. If she didn’t know better she would’ve thought he sounded amused by the prospect of physical interaction. Scarlett rushed through the hallway of the second floor and down the stairs to the first floor behind the ornate water fountain. Once in the living room she tried to recall the layout of the Stark mansion, at least the parts she’d been in for such a brief time. Everything from earlier in the day was sort of hazy and muddled. She damned the alcohol she’d consumed with Tony. If only adrenaline could truly filter the blood and make a person sober.

“This way, madam.” Jarvis lit up a hallway at the far end of the living room to guide her. Scarlett was relieved that Jarvis was helping her out the way he was. Still filled with urgency for reasons unknown to her, Scarlett rushed down the stairs and into the lab that she’d woken up in so many hours earlier. It seemed like a lifetime ago to her. The lab door that looked like it required security clearance with some sort of code swung open without it for her thanks to Jarvis.

“Damnit,” Scarlett rubbed her eyes when things seemed fuzzy. The alcohol had gotten to her more than she’d thought it had. She hoped the urgency of the situation would keep her level headed. Hurrying over to the desk in the center of the room, Scarlett searched around for a keyboard. Finding a blank tray in front of one of the monitors she brushed her fingers over the side of it curiously. This was not the ideal time to have to navigate her way through unfamiliar and incredibly advanced technology. Much to her surprise, a holographic keyboard appeared, glowing brilliantly blue on top of the tray she’d been touching. “This is _not_ going to be easy.”

“Mr. Stark has stopped responding.” After five minutes of working through system files she’d been granted access too, Jarvis had interrupted her train of thought. She’d started to search for familiar GPS signals that Tony had obviously included within his computers. If she could narrow down the signal for the Audi they’d driven to the club she might be able to pinpoint the location of the car crash and go from there.

“What?” Scarlett hadn’t realized the severity of what Jarvis had said, having been so determined on getting into the computer system. She touched the screen in front of her and hoped to expand the maps that had appeared with the signals clearly beaming on them but instead they appeared as a hologram to her left. Astounded by what was in front of her, she listened to Jarvis responding and this time with more urgency.

“Mr. Stark has stopped responding. The Mark VII is offline.” If a computer could sound panicked, Scarlett was sure Jarvis did.

“What do you mean?” Scarlett stared at the maps in front of her, unsure of what to do or what Jarvis was implying. “Jarvis, can you get me video from the Mark VII or try to patch me through to Tony?”

“The Mark VII is offline and communication is impossible, I can provide very little for you.” Jarvis brought up screen captured images of what Tony must have been looking at on the highway before the suit had gone offline. One of the images showed blood spattered over the helmet of the suit. Covering her mouth to stifle a gasp of surprise she closed her eyes and tried to consider what to do next. After a moment taken to talk thoughts out of the idea of Tony being dead, she looked at the timestamp on the photo and realized the blood must not have been his since there had been images that followed. 

Taking deep breaths to calm herself and not bothering to consider why the bloody image had frightened her so severely, Scarlett mulled over the odds of Jarvis letting her use one of the suits to go help Tony. It wouldn’t have mattered if he gave her access. There was no way she’d be able to figure out such a complex piece of technology that wasn’t built for someone her shape and size. It was possible the suits lined up in glass cases against the far wall wouldn’t respond to anyone besides Tony anyway. They were likely safe guarded in such a complex way, that by the time Scarlett could hack them it’d be too late. There had to be another way.

“Jarvis, I need you to download all of the data from the Mark VII that you can access before it crashed for me, okay? I need to see all of it, even all the data that may seem irrelevant to your systems.” The screen in front of her flickered, turned black with a white cursor blinking for a few seconds. Only a moment later streams of data started to download. Holding her breath she waited for it to download then slammed her fist on the desk after a few moments past. “Damnit this isn’t fast enough!”

“I’m patching a call through from Miss Potts.” Jarvis suddenly spoke, nearly making Scarlett jump out of her skin. Before she could request it be answered, a holographic video appeared to Scarlett’s right. Pepper’s face appeared, blood dripping down her forehead. Happy was nearby holding a cloth to her forehead that looked a lot like a piece of torn t-shirt to try and stop the bleeding. Pepper swatted his hand away and looked around the lab, apparently surprised to have been brought up on video chat considering Tony wasn’t there.

“Jarvis! Jarvis, what are you doing?” Eyes wide, Pepper realized Scarlett was accessing the computers in the lab. Much to her astonishment, Pepper didn’t seem incredibly alarmed that Scarlett was probably tampering with vital information to Tony’s empire. “Tony isn’t responding! The suit’s dead!”

“What happened, Pepper? And I mean exactly.” Scarlett stood up, feeling like it was more appropriate to answer the video doing so. The knot in the pit of Scarlett’s stomach was tightening and worsening after hearing Pepper’s assumptions about Tony. She’d wanted the situation to go awry for Tony, but only enough that he’d come back safely so she could say she told him so when he suffered a massive headache or something similar. If he’d died already and while trying to protect her, what was she going to do? Why did she care? It would be what she wanted in the first place, right? Revenge. But it wouldn’t be at her hands. Did that really matter in the scheme of things? Deciding she could later spend her night tossing and turning to contemplate what she was about to do, she turned her attention to Pepper again.

“His reactor is still glowing!” Pepper immediately assured Scarlett, apparently thinking the woman looked rather panicked. Did she? Scarlett wasn’t sure. Maybe that was why Jarvis had given her the access he had. Was her worry written all over her face? There was no way she was that good of an actress.

“Good! That’s very good. We can assume he’s still alive in that case.” Scarlett looked over at the data that had finally loaded on the computer screen. “What happened? Did you see what happened to him? Why isn’t he responding?” Scarlett started tapping away at the keyboard, searching through the data for some sort of an anomaly. Maybe if she could pinpoint the moment the Mark VII had gone offline she could use the code to get the machine back online and running if it hadn’t been completely destroyed.

“One of the men used some kind of strange weapon! It fried Happy’s phone while he was trying to communicate with Jarvis! My phone was trapped in the Audi and doesn’t seem to have been effected but I couldn’t tell you why! Scarlett, he’s dead weight out there. The machine won’t move and he won’t talk to us. I don’t know if the thing is broken or if he’s just unconscious in there! The eyes on the suit aren’t glowing though, if that helps.”

“Can you get him to safety? Or is he too big?” Scarlett didn’t bother to look at the screen anymore as Pepper spoke. She pulled Tony’s computer chair closer to her and sat in it, getting herself familiar with the coding of the Mark VII. It was like nothing she’d ever seen before in her life. “Jarvis, highlight that, set it aside.” The computer followed her orders without argument, leaving the highlighted code on a second screen to her left.

“No we can’t! Not for lack of trying though. The machine is just too heavy. We could barely drag it a few inches before they started firing at us.” Pepper seemed panicked and kept looking away. Scarlett guessed she was likely checking on Tony. “They’re shooting up his armor, Scarlett. They’ll break through it eventually!”

“I know, I know.” Scarlett shook her head. “It looked like they used something electronic to shut it off. I can’t get to anything after that moment… But it looks like it took them a few tries.” Scarlett reread over the data that had come in right before the Mark VII had stopped responding. “They had been hitting him with some sort of electromagnetic pulse prior to this, but I don’t think Tony realized what it was. He’d felt it, because it’d nearly dropped the armor both times… but hadn’t made an effort to avoid it.” Scarlett whispered under her breath. It seemed unimportant to refer to him by his last name at this point. 

“What can we do? Tony can’t handle much more of this and we can’t do anything while they have guns! It’s only a matter of time before they find us and kill us.” Pepper had tears streaming down her face steadily now. “We have to do something!”

“I know! Just give me a second, Pepper! I’m trying to think.” Scarlett cursed and looked around the room in search of something, trying to figure out what she could do to save Tony. Even if Jarvis let her leave by the time she got to the site of the crash, which the computer had located for her, it would be too late. The titanium alloy of the Mark VII would only hold up against a barrage of bullets and whatever electromagnetic weapons they’d developed for a short time before it caved and left Tony vulnerable.

“There’s blood, oh god, there’s blood! Hurry! We don’t have a second for you to think!” Pepper was in hysterics at the sight of her boss bleeding. It was lucky that Scarlett understood her at all amongst her sobbing. Happy suddenly came on the screen, allowing Pepper to cry against his shoulder.

“There’s blood seeping through the suit, you’ve only got a minute left before something worse happens.” Happy’s voice was trembling but he was far calmer than Pepper was at the moment.

“Jarvis!” Scarlett walked back over to the computer. “Jarvis, can I access the Mark VII mainframe remotely?” Cracking her knuckles, she decided to ignore Pepper who was talking to Happy anyway and yelling at him for telling her to calm down and trying to ease her nerves.

“Yes, Miss Damien.” 

“If you let me into the mainframe of the Mark VII I can get it back online. Bring it up on the screen for me. Save the data you extracted but replace it with the Mark VII and keep the highlighted information on the next screen.” Scarlett tapped the screen and was surprised when Jarvis refused. “Jarvis?”

“I’m afraid that you don’t have access to the Mark VII’s mainframe.”

“What?” Scarlett and Pepper both yelled in surprise.

“Jarvis, let her in! She’s trying to save Tony!” Pepper’s tears dried up momentarily, replaced by anger.

“Only Mr. Stark is allowed to access and alter Mark encryption.” The computer responded.

“God damnit, Jarvis if you don’t let me do this then Tony is going to _die!_ ” Scarlett slammed her fist hard onto the desk next to the keyboard as she’d done earlier. Pepper was sobbing again on the other line of the video chat, apparently having given up hope. Closing her eyes, Scarlett contemplated hacking Jarvis so she could save Tony. If she hacked Jarvis now then his defenses would be patched up and she would likely not be able to get the information she wanted from him in the first place when she attempted to hack him a second time. How would she ever answer the question of whether or not Tony was responsible for what had happened to her in Africa? Even if he’d only had a small hand in funding the company, she needed to know.

The computer started to process information. The noise brought Scarlett to her senses. Jarvis was letting her into the mainframe of the Mark VII, much to her surprise. Sitting in the chair again, she started typing immediately at the keyboard, searching for where the error was occurring in the mainframe. She knew that Tony had to have anticipated electromagnetic interference in the suit being a possibility someday beforehand.

“Thank you Jarvis!” Scarlett spoke while she typed away at the keyboard, scanning through the data that appeared in front of her. Time was limited and her fingers were trembling, but she had to do everything she could to become familiar with this complex system before Tony was murdered for simply trying to protect her and his friends. Holding her breath she typed away and found what she was looking for. It was the same repeated anomaly that had occurred the first few times that Tony had been fired upon with the electronic weapon that had stalled his systems but not overtaken them.

“Hurry!” Pepper was so close to the phone that Scarlett was shocked when she glanced back over at them. “I can’t watch…” Nearly pulling out her hair as she tried to figure out the coding that was far too complicated for a woman who’d drank nearly an entire bottle of scotch on her own at the time, Scarlett felt like she might be making some progress.

“Got it! Got it!” Scarlett jumped up from her seat but kept typing at the keyboard. She’d found a way to manually reboot the Mark VII remotely. It would take only a few more seconds. “He’s back online! He’s back! Pepper? Happy?” Scarlett was looking for confirmation and was surprised when the view from the visor of the Mark VII appeared in front of her in place of the screen she’d been typing data into. There were men standing in front of the Mark, firing at it relentlessly. Was she too late? She could see a rush of radar and data pop up in front of the visor, getting a brief look into how the Mark VII worked.

“Power chest repulsor.” Tony’s voice echoed through the room, sounding surprised but prepared to get back to work. Scarlett exhaled, not having realized she was holding her breath while waiting to see if Tony was still alive.

The Mark VII jumped to life, the repulsor centered around the arc reactor glowing. Pepper was nearly screaming with excitement and relief. After a second of charging, the chest reactor fired, knocking two of the men firing at Tony backwards and presumably mortally wounding them. Tony, who had been trying to find a way to reboot the machine manually when he’d been trapped inside of it, jumped to life. His shoulder was aching and bloodied where the Mark VII’s protective armor had been worn away from the onslaught he’d withstood.

Without speaking, Tony was able to dodge the next few blows from the two men who were left firing at him. They were escaping, running for cover on the highway. Marching forward in the armor to pursue them, clearly Tony was mad enough to do some real damage.

He fired the repulsors in his gloves straight at the man closest to him and watched him fall to the ground. “Thrusters.” Lifting off the ground, Tony shot into the sky then turned off the thrusters mid-leap. The machine came crashing down, Tony grabbing onto the last man who had been attacking him and slamming him hard enough into the gravel to render him unconscious. Kneeling on the ground, Tony caught his breath and tried to figure out what the hell had happened. There were sirens approaching. The police had clearly managed to make their way through the confusion Jarvis had caused in their systems and were heading that way.

Getting to his feet, Tony turned to face Pepper and Happy who emerged from their hiding spot beyond the trees to see if he was alright. “Jarvis, full system report.” The computer started rattling off statistics inside the helmet of the Mark but Tony was barely listening. What had happened? He’d spent the last twenty minutes bracing himself for gunfire and trying to find what had gone wrong with his suit.

“Tony! Tony, are you okay?” Pepper ran toward her boss, wanting to see proof that the man was alright and that Scarlett wasn’t simply controlling the Mark VII from the lab at home. Scarlett had stopped working on the Mark VII entirely and was simply watching the chaos unfold through the system’s visor, hovering just above the computer chair. It hadn’t quite sunken in yet that she’d actually managed to hack the Mark.

“Pepper, I’m fine. I just couldn’t move a damn thing. This suit is heavy when the hydraulics aren’t working. The whole thing just crashed to the ground suddenly. I couldn’t even open the helmet to try and talk to you to tell you to take cover. I assume it was you two who were tugging at me and trying to get me up.” Tony spoke through the suit. “Cut the visor feed, Jarvis. Communicate with the house computer.” There was anger and frustration thick in Tony’s voice upon realizing what must have happened. “What the _hell_ was that Jarvis?” Instead of simply speaking to the computer as he’d intended to do, he was surprised when a video feed of Scarlett in his lab appeared in his visor.

The suit had never gone offline like that before. How had they managed to get past his system’s defenses to render the suit completely useless? The left shoulder of his suit was completely shattered and would need extensive repair. Not to mention the damage that had been done to his car and his body. 

“What the _hell_ are you doing in my lab?” Tony nearly snarled at the sight of Scarlett hunched over his computer. He wasn’t sure why it had filled him with such rage to see her there and looking rather disheveled.

“You’re welcome.” Scarlett looked astounded to see the anger in Tony’s eyes. She’d expected him to be grateful. “They fired some sort of electromagnetic pulse. If you can retrieve the weapon they used before the police do then we can find out exactly what it was.” Scarlett was relieved to see Tony’s face on the screen, but felt wounded that he was so nasty to her when she’d just saved his life. “It wasn’t completely offline.”

“Of _course_ it wasn’t offline.” Tony cursed under his breath. “Jarvis, what did you do? What did you let her into?”

“Sir, there was no other way to get the Mark VII responsive again.” Jarvis responded quickly.

“There’s _always_ another way.” Tony spat then looked over to Pepper. “You’re going to the hospital.”

“What?” Pepper looked surprised. She was still holding onto her cell phone and transmitting the feed into the lab. Access to the Mark VII completely disappeared off of the computer as did the feed from Tony’s visor. Scarlett cursed and tried to stop the computers from locking her out but it was to no avail. The rest of the data she was accessing was still on screen if nothing else.

“You’re bleeding.” Happy reminded her, holding up the torn piece of his shirt that he’d been using to keep the blood from dripping into Pepper’s eyes.

“Oh, but what about you Tony? You’re bleeding too! I can see it on the outside of your suit.”

“I’m fine.” Tony popped open the helmet of the armor and allowed it to retract as far as he could. “Hold up the phone.”

“Tony, she saved you. Don’t be so harsh.” Pepper tried to reason with him, but had very rarely seen her boss as angry as he was at that moment.

“What did you _do_?” Tony spoke into the phone, ignoring Pepper’s argument. He’d never been so angry with himself. Scarlett seemed like the perfect scapegoat. She’d caused him far more trouble than she was worth. It was _her_ fault he’d been made vulnerable to an attack.

“What did I do? I found out what had happened to the suit. The pulse was repeating in your systems and causing the suit to malfunction, Tony! If I hadn’t gotten into your computer and remotely rebooted your system via the Jarvis in your lab then you would’ve been killed.” She repeated.

“How the _hell_ did you get into my lab in the first place? What are you doing out of the guest room?” Scarlett could hear Pepper arguing in the background about keeping her held captive once again in the guest room. Scarlett was glad to see that Pepper seemed to be back on her side, if nothing else. She’d gotten the impression that Pepper thought she was up to no good when she’d called Tony earlier to report what had happened. 

“Is that _really_ what matters right now? If I hadn’t gotten down here then you would’ve died.” Scarlett was surprised to see the anger Tony was exhibiting toward her for what she’d done. She’d expected him to be grateful that she’d saved him. He hadn’t trusted her to even leave the room while he’d been gone and instead of taking advantage of having free reign in his lab she’d gone out of her way to save his life and the lives of his friends. Head spinning, Scarlett blinked her eyes and forced herself to focus on the video call with Tony.

“I would’ve been just fine, thank you very much. I told you to stay put.”

“Oh right, because lying on the ground deadweight while being pumped full of lead was all part of your master scheme. I told you to let me go with you! I could’ve helped you. If you would’ve just let me come and give you a hand then this would’ve never happened!”

“Yeah it’d be your blood instead of mine, Scarlett!”

“Aren’t you the least bit grateful to not be _dead,_ Tony?” Hands still trembling with adrenaline and fear of the situation that she’d been in with Tony, Scarlett made them busy so it wouldn’t be noticed and untangled her curly hair to the best of her abilities.

“Now you know how it feels to save someone’s life and be shown absolutely _no_ gratitude.” Tony spat in annoyance but his heart was racing. She’d broken out of her room and gotten into his computers. Instead of digging through his files and sabotaging him the way he’d expected her to she’d dug into his Mark VII files and saved his life. On top of that, she’d called him _Tony_ at long last. In fact, if he wasn’t mistake he thought she sounded worried. And if he didn’t know better he would think she _looked_ shaken up. Had he scared her? There wasn’t any time to be soft or to taunt her. The police would be on the scene at any moment. Anger and confusion were still bubbling through Tony’s thoughts.

Scarlett didn’t dignify his rash words with a response and instead turned away from the video. Tony continued speaking but not to her.

“Jarvis, patch me into the police. I’ve got to clean this mess up and Pepper’s got to get to the hospital.” The robot did as he was told to. “Scarlett?”

“What?” She didn’t turn to look at Tony the screen. Her mind was reeling. Why had she saved him? Why had she been so scared that maybe she couldn’t? Now that he was so ungrateful, why was she so disappointed?

“You sit your ass in that chair and you stay right there. Jarvis, make sure it happens this time and if you _don’t_ then I’m going to disable you entirely when I’m not there.” Tony snarled. With that the computers shut down in the lab, even the lights turned off. Emergency lighting came on, lining the floor so that Scarlett could at least move around without tripping on something.

“Disconnect the damn call!” Scarlett shouted in frustration and watched as Tony’s face disappeared from the video chat screen. The room was dark and felt cold without the sound of Jarvis overhead. Looking around to gather her bearings she was unsure of why she felt so emotional after all had been said and done. Scarlett clenched her fists hard enough to make a mark in her palms with her nails.

Turning around she grabbed the desk lamp next to the computer screen. Disconnecting it from its power source with a quick tug, she angrily threw it as far as she could manage, yelling at the top of her lungs. The lamp smashed into the classic convertible nearby, leaving a large dent in the hood and scraping the paint off of it. Cursing under her breath she kicked over the computer chair before crouching down on the floor and grabbing onto her hair. She was trapped once again in Tony’s lab with little but her confusing thoughts for company.

This time, Jarvis offered her no condolences and she wondered if the computer regretted letting Scarlett access his mainframe. Now that she’d done so, the opportunity to get the information she needed had passed. Why had she bothered to save Tony at all when he’d been so ungrateful and rude? Was she clinging to the hope that something during dinner she’d experienced had been the real Tony? How incredibly foolish, she thought.

Either way, she was stuck now. Her leg was throbbing uncomfortably from the effort of kicking over the heavy computer chair. Sitting on the floor she leaned against the desk and closed her eyes, lost in thought.

She could’ve let Tony Stark die. She could’ve saved the world from the corruption of Stark Industries and the vile man who had provided the world’s villains with the finest weaponry imaginable.

But instead what had she done when given this valuable opportunity?

She’d let some confused guilt in the pit of her stomach allow her to save his life. Slamming her fist on the ground again, Scarlett wished more than ever that she could be reunited with the bottle of scotch she and Tony had left at the restaurant.

The guilt churned in her stomach again. Guilt for Scott and for having betrayed him because of a fleeting romantic moment with Tony Stark in a restaurant that had been nothing more but hormones, romantic music and alcohol.

“You are in _way_ over your head.” Scarlett glanced at the bandaging on her arm and saw the light patches of blood seeping through. The effort of either helping Tony out or having thrown his lamp in anger had caused the scab to pull and bleed.

Finally getting herself off of the floor, she righted Tony’s chair and searched for the first aid kit he’d used to help her out when she’d woken up. After finding it, she started to change the dressing on her arm.

The best thing to do was to numb herself to what had happened, just like she had before taking the job at MedCo. But something had changed while she’d been held captive and trying to save Scott’s life as well as her own. No matter what she did, she couldn’t turn herself off to the emotional nightmare her mind had become.


	13. Raising the Stakes

The lab suddenly sprang back to life, lights clicking on one by one, the computers humming once again with activity. At the far end of the room the door to the garage slowly started to lift and open. A car Scarlett didn’t recognize drove into the lab and parked at the very end of the line of cars in the room. The Mark VII came flying in behind it and landed near the desk on a panel cut into the floor that looked like it had been designed just for the Mark. Scarlett got to her feet, having sat bored in the chair since she’d finished cleaning the wound on her arm. The alcohol made her tired but the guilt plaguing her had kept her from sleeping during the two hours she’d been trapped with nothing to do in the lab.

“Where’s Pepper?” Scarlett asked Happy, looking past the battered Mark VII suit as it approached. Guilt churned renewed in her stomach at the sight of the damage that had been done to the Iron Man suit. She was mad enough at Tony, regardless, that she didn’t bother to address him first.

“The paramedics took her to the hospital to get some stitches and make sure she didn’t have a concussion from the blow to the head. Don’t worry, it’s only a precaution.” Happy smiled warily at Scarlett, but the expression faded from his face when Tony turned in his suit to shoot his driver an aggravated glance.

“Any word from the hospital? Does she have a concussion?” Scarlett made a point to continue ignoring Tony, even though he came closer to her in the battered suit and attempted to obstruct her view of Happy. He clearly had a few choice words for her, but Scarlett didn’t care. If he was going to be a pompous asshole then she wasn’t going to bother with him. He’d been the cause of more aggravation that day that he was worth.

“She’ll be fine. I’ve already got a car picking her up since she’s finished up in the Emergency Room.” Tony answered for his driver. “Go upstairs, Happy.” The driver didn’t argue with Tony and instead hung his head and walked toward the door that would lead him upstairs and out of the room, avoiding eye contact with Scarlett.

The helmet of the Mark VII made a hissing sound as it opened and revealed the face of Tony Stark, his lip bloodied and his hair matted against his scalp with sweat. He was scowling, his brown eyes still sparkling with anger.

“What were you doing in Africa?” When Scarlett turned away from him, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. He expected to see anger in her eyes, but instead saw something that only confused him. She seemed _hurt_. Maybe it was another cruel trick of hers, to make him feel bad for simply trying to get the truth out of her. The men after her had nearly _killed_ him and she expected _him_ to feel bad about it.

“What?” Scarlett hadn’t expected him to ask that right off the bat. She’d expected him to give her a hard time about the computers she’d accessed and to ask what exactly she’d seen or to ask how she had manipulated his computer into letting her out of her room. Instead he was asking her _again_ about what she’d been doing for MedCo. This information was still something she wasn’t willing to tell him or to anyone. Even if he wasn’t behind what had happened to her as she had initially suspected he was, it was none of his business. Part of her wasn’t ready to talk about the whole truth. It was easier to lie.

“I said, what were you doing in Africa that has these people so mad at you that they’re willing to kill _my_ people to get to you?” Tony practically snarled at her. Scarlett grabbed the hand of the Mark VII that was latched onto her chin and shoved it away from her to the best of her abilities. Tony didn’t bother trying to keep his grip on her when she did so and let his arm fall to his side.

“I already told you that what happened to me down there was none of your business.” Scarlett chose her words wisely, trying not to further enrage Tony.

“Those men out there on the highway, those men in suits that Pepper said were looking for _you…_ ”

“They said they were looking for a _woman_ not for _me_.” Scarlett corrected him hastily. “Get out of my face.” Turning away from him she took a deep breath and did her best to try to quell the anger that had taken her over earlier when they’d been arguing over the phone with him.

“Oh, what _other_ woman would they be looking for, huh? It’s pretty convenient that I pick up a woman from the wreckage of some corrupt shadow company I’ve been searching for and less than twelve hours after you wake up my people are attacked by men looking for _some woman_.”

“ _Convenient?_ And how the hell do you think they would’ve located me so easily?” Scarlett spat, making sure not to look back at Tony. If she was close to him she might actually hurt him. Her hands were shaking again with rage. While she was sure that those people on the highway _were_ actually looking for her since they weren’t after Pepper, she had just as many questions as Tony did. Tony didn’t respond and instead walked away from her in his suit. She heard the pistons of the Mark VII moving as he did so. It was oddly an intriguing sound, so Scarlett turned to watch.

“Jarvis, get it off of me.” Tony murmured. The yellow gantry came out of the ground and started to pry the Mark VII off of his body piece by piece. It wasn’t as simple to remove as it had been to put on considering some of the parts were now stuck together thanks to the attack that had nearly destroyed parts of the armor. “Careful, careful…” Tony’s shoulder was bloodied and the caked mess from his wound had caused pieces of the armor and his shirt to stick against the wounds he’d suffered. The skin around it had already started to visibly bruise. “For all I know, Scarlett, you tipped them off and told them where we were going for the night. Maybe that’s what you were doing when you ran away from me.”

“Excuse me?” Scarlett turned her gaze away from the gantry to face Tony then walked straight up to him. How could he think that she would do that to him? After all she’d been through with MedCo he thought that _she_ was the one behind the attack? What would make him think that she would have any control on the very people that held her captive? Then again, it wasn’t like she’d shared much of her experience in captivity with him.

“For all I know you could still be working for those assholes in South Africa! How do I know you’re not one of them and trying to manipulate me?” Tony stepped away from the gantry once the pieces of the Mark VII had been removed entirely. Parts of shattered armor had fallen to the ground in a crumpled up heap on the platform. “Clean up the mess Jarvis and start repairs on the suit. Anything that’s too complex for your skills, set aside and I’ll repair it when I get the chance.”

“Working _for_ them? Do you _really_ think I’m working for them?” Scarlett was in complete disbelief. After the hell she’d been through between being trapped in Africa and waking up in her enemy’s home, after she’d finally managed to regain her level head she had to defend her moral standings? She _had_ been working for MedCo but only because she’d had no other choices and even then she hadn’t actually built what they’d wanted her to build. The only way to clear her name would be to tell Tony what had really happened and Scarlett wasn’t prepared to do that.

For awhile she had been convinced that Tony had thought he’d found a kindred spirit who had gone through the hell of captivity that he’d experienced within her. While his initial assumptions about that had been well founded he now seemed to doubt the connection he’d found with her. What had shaken him so badly to make him forget what had drawn him to her in the first place? On top of that, why did it bother Scarlett so much?

“Jarvis, remind me to work on something to manually reboot from within the suit and to come up with some sort of shield against electromagnetic fields. I can’t let that happen again. We got lucky tonight.” Tony muttered, speaking to the computer overhead without looking up at it.

“Yes, sir.” The robot didn’t seem to be his usual perky self after what had transpired with Scarlett. Usually Tony was met with some sort of quirky response or clever retort but Jarvis seemed to know that he had gotten into hot water with his programmer. Or maybe he just knew better than to mess with Tony when he was as angry as he was. Scarlett guessed that this sort of outright anger from Tony was a rare occasion. He seemed more the type to make a joke out of serious situations.

“You caused the explosion that took down that building whether you admit it or not.” Tony approached Scarlett again, puffing out his chest in an attempt to look intimidating. Apparently he knew a lot more about what had happened inside the MedCo building than he’d let on. “That much I’m certain of. I did a lot of damage to that building, but the explosion that you set off? It was entirely different. How do I know you weren’t the one that double crossed _them_?”

“You pretentious son of a bitch…” Scarlett cursed, but didn’t back down. She wasn’t going to let him push her around. “You know what? _Fine!_ You can believe what you want about what happened tonight. I _did_ set off that explosion but only to try and _escape_ from MedCo but the rest of what happened? You don’t need to know. I don’t know who the hell you think you are. Constantly making assumptions about me at every turn and when you find out one of them might not be right it’s my fault you jumped to conclusions?” Scoffing, Scarlett did her best not to clench her fists. If she did, she was afraid she might outright punch Tony in the face if he got close enough.

“ _Assumptions?_ ” Tony spoke over her and muttered to himself while she ranted. “Well, I wouldn’t have to make assumptions about you if you’d tell me a single damn thing about yourself instead of holding all the information like it’s some kind of bargaining chip! Tell me what happened, Scarlett!” Tony approached her and was surprised when she backed away from him. Had he actually seemed threatening?

“No.” Scarlett shook her head without hesitation in response.

“What are you so afraid of? Why are you so terrified to tell me what happened to you? Are you afraid that I might _judge_ you?” Tony sneered sardonically. He continued to approach her and she continued to back away to keep distance between them. But before Scarlett knew it she was backed up against his desk with nowhere left to go. Tony put his hands on either side of her and narrowed his eyes. Lowering his voice he continued. “My friends were nearly killed by these assholes that came chasing after you.”

“Back off,” Scarlett hissed. Her lip was twitching with anger and it was taking all of her willpower not to dig her fingers into his wounded shoulder and show him just what she was made of.

“If you don’t confess what it was you were doing in Africa or what you say they were _making_ you do over there, if that’s even the case at all, then I’ll hand you over to the police and let them handle it. I’m tired of your games! This _isn’t_ a game, there are _lives_ in the balance and you’re going to let people get killed! And for what? Your ego? You talk about mine like I’m the scum of the earth, but you’re just as bad.” Tony threatened. He had no intentions of handing her over to the police, but he was hoping that it would instill some sort of fear within her and compel her to talk about what she’d been through. He didn’t actually think she’d been behind what had happened, but after nearly dying he was panicked enough to use it as leverage.

Heart racing, Scarlett knew she had to get out of the corner she’d been forced into. If she gave up everything she had to offer, what would stop him from turning her over to the police in the first place? She knew that they couldn’t charge her for the crimes she’d committed in South Africa but if Tony convinced them that she was guilty of some sort of international espionage then the FBI could take over her case and she could be held prisoner. Why had she told him about what she’d done in Japan? One concrete case would unravel her past and she’d be locked away for the rest of her life! Fear had gripped her but something else Tony had said had struck a much stronger nerve.

“ _Letting_ people get killed? Stark! I saved your life! Or did you forget that already?” Scarlett shoved him away from being practically on top of her and escaped where she’d been pinned on the desk. “You know what? You can go rot in hell! This isn’t a game to me either, you know! You keep talking to me like we’re playing some intricate game of chess. Well, you know what? If we are, you should know better than to straight on attack the Queen with your pawn.” Turning still to face him, but making sure he couldn’t pin her down anywhere else, Scarlett continued her angry rant only to be interrupted by Tony.

“Chess? What, now I’m the one treating this like a game?”

“You got yourself into trouble tonight. _You_ did. Not me. You locked me up in that damn guest room and told me that I couldn’t help because I’m a woman and I must not be able to protect myself in a dangerous situation, right? You locked _me_ up when I wanted to help you! You walked right into danger to go and save your friends from some _unknown_ threat.” Scarlett laid out the facts right in front of him. There was no proof that MedCo had sent someone after her. The more she thought about it the more farfetched the theory seemed. “For all you know Stark, they were after _you!_ ”

“Pepper told us they were after _you_! How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“I believe what Pepper actually said was that they were after a _woman_ and you affiliate with so many sleazy bitches how do you know it’s not one of them? How do you know it wasn’t some kind of trick being played on you? Maybe someone was looking for you at the club that night. Maybe someone saw _us_ together and thought I was a soft spot so they could get to you using whatever floozy was hanging on your arm at the time! Use your brain instead of your dick for twenty seconds and maybe you’ll see what’s right in front of you. You don’t know it was me they were after and neither do I. If I had come with you then maybe I could’ve told you if I recognized them but instead you kept me trapped upstairs when all I wanted to do was _help_ you!” 

“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Tony ran his hand through his sweaty hair to keep it from sticking further to his scalp. “They’re not after _me_! It’s too convenient, just way too damn convenient that you’re here and now they’re looking for a woman who isn’t Pepper! I will _not_ have you putting my friends in jeopardy.”

“Me? I’m the one putting your friends in jeopardy? Stark, are you out of your mind?” Scarlett couldn’t help but laugh, though she found little to no humor in the situation. Getting closer to him she pointed an accusing finger close to his face. “Every day you continue this super hero bullshit you put everyone you love in jeopardy so don’t lecture me about putting people in danger. I keep to myself for a _reason_. If you want to pull that guilt crap on me Tony then go look in the damn mirror and find who’s really to blame here.” Clearly she had struck a nerve. Hurt was written all over Tony’s face but only for a second.

Quickly he masked his wound with frustration. Letting his tongue brush over his bottom lip, he laughed under his breath then turned away from her and walked around his desk. Sitting down in his desk chair he grabbed the stress ball off of his desk and gave it a squeeze.

“Jarvis, download the data from the fight out on the highway.” Tony had to admit that Scarlett had a few valid points, if nothing else. There was no way to know that the men he’d fought had actually been after _her_. They had never asked for Scarlett by name, but they had told him it wasn’t him they were after when he’d come face to face with them. Closing his eyes he waited for the telltale signals of his computer getting him what he wanted. If he could get video from the attack then he could find out the make, model and license plate on the black SUV that he’d thrown down the hill.

“Sir, I’m afraid the damage done to the Mark VII’s drives are far too extensive to retrieve any further data from than what has already been extracted. When Miss Damien rebooted your systems to save your life, the previous files were overwritten. All that’s left is what I extracted from your mainframe and the anomalies Miss Damien highlighted within them.” Cursing under his breath, Tony wiped his face with his grease covered hand. He couldn’t get mad at Scarlett for having rebooted his systems. If she hadn’t done it, he would’ve died. In fact, while he’d been trying to hotwire his suit from the inside to get it up and running again he’d started thinking of what his funeral would be like.

“Damnit, thanks for trying Jarvis. Keep that data on screen for me.” Tony leaned forward in his chair, opened his eyes, and then scanned his garage. He spotted the dent in the classic convertible and immediately jumped out of his seat. “What happened to my car? Damnit!” Tony hurried out of his chair and walked over to the hot rod. He knelt down next to it, gently brushing his fingers over the scrape on the paint and the clear dent that had been made.

“That was me.” Scarlett sat on the edge of the desk, emotionally exhausted from the long day she’d spent with Tony Stark.

“Why the hell would you do that? Do you know how much it costs to repair one of these?” Tony sounded angry, but was pouting. “You’ll pay for the damage you caused.”

“Fine, whatever you want. I don’t care.” Scarlett shrugged. “It’s your own fault for the record. You trapped me in here with no way to get out and no way to vent my frustrations. I saved your life and you trapped me for the _third_ time against my will since I’ve met you.”

“My life only needed saving because those men were coming after _you._ ” Tony turned away from his car. It could be fixed and repainted but it would be an expensive process. At least Scarlett seemed willing to pay for the damage she’d inflicted on the precious vehicle. He was upset that she’d dented it but understood her need to vent her frustration.

“Oh will you cut it out?” Scarlett couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous this argument had become. The guilt in her stomach still churned, but the argument had started to go in circles. They were both far too stubborn to ever admit they could be wrong.

“You can deny it all you want Scarlett, but we both know it’s the truth.” Tony cursed about his car again under his breath but tried to shake the anger that had overcome him. The initial rage had finally faded and left him confused and worried. Scarlett had given him a lot to think about, even if he didn’t think there was a chance that the men he’d met with were after him.

“Think about it, Stark. If they were after me and not Iron Man then why would they have brought an electromagnetic amplifier with them? It’s not like that’d affect me in any way. Why would they use weapons specifically to disable _you_?” This actually made Tony consider his standpoint. Why _had_ his attackers been prepared for Iron Man when coming after Scarlett? And how did they know that she was with him at all? They’d only been out in public for a very short amount of time. It was true that they could have known she’d been taken by Iron Man out of the desert, but how did they pinpoint her location so easily? He didn’t actually think she had been willingly working for MedCo. Now that he was thinking clearly, he felt guilty for having turned her captivity around on her. 

If anyone had accused him of having purposely gotten himself taken in Afghanistan he wasn’t sure how he would react. While she wasn’t acting it, he was sure that he’d more than caused her some pain.

While Tony had started to doubt the motives of the men who had attacked him, Scarlett knew they had to have been searching for her. While she had no proof that it had been the men from MedCo, she was nearly positive that it was the only plausible reason for the attack. She’d hoped that when she’d been taken away by Tony Stark, maybe MedCo would stop looking for her. This only supported her theory that Tony wasn’t in bed with the people from MedCo. Why would his own subsidiary company have attacked him? It didn’t add up. 

But Scarlett wasn’t so willing to believe that Tony’s hands were clean of what had happened to her and to Scott. There was still the chance that the company had betrayed Tony and had still been funded by him. Either way, she wasn’t willing to give up the details of what had happened to her in South Africa quite yet, not without proof that he hadn’t been behind what had turned so violent in the first place.

“Fine, you have a point.” Tony finally admitted and walked back to the desk where Scarlett was sitting. She looked upset and lost in thought upon closer inspection. He felt guilty, but wasn’t willing to apologize or admit he was wrong. “I don’t think they were after me Scarlett, but you’re right. I have no proof they were after you either. I’ll bill you for the car.”

“Once I get my bank information it won’t be a big deal.” Scarlett knew she had plenty of money to handle the damage she’d done. The jobs she’d taken before MedCo had been incredibly fruitful. It had never been about the money for her, it had always been about the thrill even if the money had been a nice perk. Scarlett knew someday it’d allow her to live more than comfortably for the rest of her days, but as of right now she had no need for a home.

“You should go upstairs and get some rest. You look exhausted.” Tony turned his gaze away from her and looked down at his hands as he messed with the stress ball in his palm. Scarlett nodded to agree and folded her arms over her chest. Now that they weren’t screaming at each other the room was tense and uncomfortable.

What she hadn’t realized was that the anger Tony had expressed seemed to be out of betrayal. Now that she saw the calm returning to him, she could tell that he was just as hurt as she’d been when he screamed at her for saving his life. Naturally this had deflated the anger she’d been feeling toward him. Finally, she was sure she wasn’t going to lash out at him physically.

“Yeah, I probably should. Goodnight Stark.” Scarlett stepped away from the desk and turned toward the door of his lab. Stopping in front of it as it opened, she felt the guilt renewed. He’d helped her when she’d been wounded and she was sure he was simply going to sit bloodied up in front of his computer trying to repair his suit until he passed out from exhaustion.

Tony sat down in his computer chair and started to pick at the wound on his shoulder. He winced and immediately gave up on it when it started to sting in objection. Getting hurt had never bothered him but the cleanup had always been more than a pain. Pepper had always taken care of minor wounds he’d suffered but even then only after he’d been cornered by her or had enough to drink that he wouldn’t feel the pain. Pepper had tried to insist he should go to the hospital with her when the paramedics had arrived, but he’d been too angry and wanted to use the nerve he’d built up to try and get something useful out of Scarlett so he’d refused.

Turning back around Scarlett put a hand on her hip and sighed heavily. While she wasn’t his biggest fan at the moment, Scarlett couldn’t leave him bleeding and pathetic. Besides, the fight with him had left her feeling unsettled. Her mind kept wandering to the fun they’d had in the restaurant together. It couldn’t have _all_ been a game. Even she wasn’t that good of a liar and she knew that there was no way Tony Stark was. In fact, she was sure he was a pretty terrible liar. Why would he have to lie when he had enough money to deal with the consequences of his every action?

“What?” Tony didn’t look up from his computer, instead searching through the anomalies that Scarlett had pulled aside. As mad as he was that Jarvis had let her into the computer system, he was intrigued by what she’d accomplished in such a short time. When given the chance, she hadn’t hacked into his system for her own selfish reasons and hadn’t even tried to get into his personal data. Instead, she’d tried her damndest to help him out in any way she could think of. The work she’d done in the time she’d done it was remarkable.

In fact, Tony was sure the only other person he knew who could do that amount of work in such a time crunch was him. Any other computer engineer would’ve failed horribly and left him to die. Even more remarkable was the fact that she hadn’t punched him right in the face after he’d behaved the way that he had. The more he reflected on his behavior he considered that he might have punched himself in the face if given the opportunity. Maybe everything they’d been through hadn’t been the clever ruse he had thought it was. Perhaps the simple truth had been staring him right in the face. She’d wanted to help him.

“You’re bleeding.” Scarlett finally spoke while she took a few steps toward him. She couldn’t leave him there bloody and in pain, as much as she thought he deserved it. If the men _had_ been after her, then it was her fault he was bleeding in the first place. This newfound conscience was going to be the end of her. She’d always had a generally good willed moral compass but before she’d worked for MedCo she definitely would’ve offered to salt Tony’s wound. 

“I don’t care.” Tony shrugged and winced, then pouted at the pain he felt. It was the first sign of humor that Scarlett had seen since he’d returned. She was grateful that he hadn’t completely shut off to her.

“You’re pathetic.” Scarlett did her best to sound playful. Walking over to where Tony was sitting in his chair she reached underneath the desk and retrieved the first aid kit she’d used to change the wound on her arm while she’d been locked alone waiting for him to return. Tony grabbed her arm and noticed the new bandaging.

“What happened?” His insides churned. Had she hurt herself trying to break out of the room? Or worse, had she hurt herself in her attempts to save him?

“It’s nothing.” Scarlett pulled her arm away and avoided eye contact. Tony deserved the silent treatment for the accusations he’d made and she planned on giving it to him. He tried to tug on her arm again but she swatted his hand away playfully. Unable to help but smile, he found he was finally able to break the angry tension.

“Still feisty, even after I threatened to send you to prison.” Tony chuckled and leaned back in his chair. Scarlett stopped opening the first aid kit, sat on the desk near Tony, closed the kit and rested both her hands on top of it. She gave him a look that clearly warned him against bringing up what had made her so frustrated with him to begin with. “Sorry, sorry… It’s really fine. I’ll get a doctor to look at it later.” Tony waved her off and turned away from her again.

Scarlett hooked her foot in the arm of Tony’s chair and spun him to face her again. Surprised by the action, Tony allowed the chair to spin around even though he could’ve just as easily stopped it with his feet.

“You’re not going to leave and get any rest until I let you do this, are you?” Scarlett didn’t speak, and instead just watched Tony’s reactions in amusement. Tony sighed, braided his fingers together and leaned back in his chair, judging her silence with pursed lips. Why couldn’t he figure her out? Every time he thought he had her pegged something happened that made him doubt what he’d learned. Then when he finally hardened up to her, he realized that maybe his initial thoughts about her had been correct. Why couldn’t he make up his mind? She was hot then she was cold and everything in between.

It was incredibly dangerous, and Tony had always had the need for danger in his life, whether or not he liked to admit it. Scarlett opened the first aid kit again when he didn’t respond and pulled out some antiseptic and a few cloths to clean his wounds with. The one on his shoulder was nasty looking, and might have even needed a few stitches, but the one on his forehead was nothing but a small bump. There was a cut on his lip, but it looked like most of the blood had been wiped away by sweat.

“Fine… Fine, you know if you wanted to take care of me then you should have just said something. I didn’t realize you saved me because you liked me so damn much.” Scarlett put down the antiseptic in her lap and cocked an eyebrow curiously. “Too much?” Tony laughed. Scarlett hated to say it but it was good to see a smile on his face again. Anger didn’t suit his playful nature.

Deciding not to dignify his ridiculousness with a response, Scarlett instead tugged the chair closer to him with her foot and spun him so that his left shoulder was closer to her.

“You’re not going to talk to me are you?” Tony watched her out of the corner of his eye while he reached past her and fiddled with the screen nearby. She swatted his hands away from the computer and then picked up the cloth with the antiseptic on it. “Fine, but be gentle. I’m sensitive.”

Ignoring his quips, Scarlett reached to dab at the wound on his forehead but made an audible sound of annoyance when he leaned his head out of the way before the cloth touched his skin.

“You know, I really can just _pay_ someone else to do this.” Scarlett slumped her shoulders and narrowed her eyes at him. “Particularly if you’re going to go out of your way to cause me pain… I mean I’m not a masochist, this isn’t sexy.” Tony pouted his bottom lip as she glared at him. “Though, I could be into a _little_ pain. You know women don’t usually try to take the reins with me…”

Grabbing onto his jaw, half to stop his talking and half to keep him from moving, Scarlett urged him to look at her and held him in place with her left hand. Taking the cloth once again in her right hand she brought it up to the spot on Tony’s head. He winced before the cloth even touched the wound.

Scarlett gave him a skeptical look of disapproval and Tony gave her the best smile he could manage with her hands on his face in such a way. He watched her thoughtful blue eyes and couldn’t help but wonder what she really wanted to say to him, because clearly there was a lot going on in her head. Maybe if he kept harassing her he could get her to talk. What he really should’ve done was simply apologize for being an asshole, but that would require admitting that he could’ve been wrong and a little rash about how he’d gone about dealing with the situation and he wasn’t sure he was capable of doing so.

When the antiseptic met the scrape on his head that he’d gotten from smacking it on the inside of his visor, he saw stars for a moment. His temples began to throb and his head steadily pounded in irritation. Gingerly, Scarlett brushed the cloth over the wound and cleaned up the small scrape. It wasn’t severe enough to even need a bandage and she was sure the blood would clot up quickly enough for a scab to form before the blood started flowing the way it had upon the initial blow.

With a second cloth she wiped away the excess blood from his face along with a bit of dirt from the tip of his nose. Tony scrunched up his face, much like an antsy child when she did so. She couldn’t help but smile just slightly when she pulled the filthy cloth away. Tony shook his head and then rubbed his jaw after she’d let go.

“You know, I would’ve sat still eventually if you’d just given me the chance. You didn’t have to manhandle me.” Pouting again, Tony looked up at her with that devious gaze he often had when he was about to make a raunchy joke.

“No…” Scarlett whispered and warned him against it.

“No _what?_ Give me more than that Scarlett. I can’t _not_ make a joke about manhandling you…” Laughing, Tony rolled away in his chair when she pulled out a pair of shears so she could snip away the bloodied part of his sleeve. “Oh you are so not going to use those on me. I do not trust you with sharp objects.”

Scarlett threw her hands up in annoyance. He was ridiculous. How did he ever get anything done? Coming up with an idea, she then gave him her best seductive look, biting her lip in the process. Curling her index finger in a rather come hither manner, she batted her eyelashes at him and hoped to lure him over.

“That’s just _evil_.” Tony stayed at the opposite end of the desk. “No scissors.” Holding up one hand, he seemed to be making the terms of some kind of deal that would allow her to continue working on his wounds. The anger between the two had melted back into the playful tension they’d worked up in the restaurant and while neither would admit it, they were both relieved to have it back.

Holding up a finger to mock her silence, Tony unbuttoned his dress shirt from dinner and slipped it off, whining when the crusted parts that were stuck in the bloody mess of his wound pulled away. The wound started to bleed again when Tony irritated it. Reaching down once again he took a deep breath and pulled off his white undershirt. Tossing it aside he cursed under his breath and spun in his chair to work off the feeling of discomfort from how the cloth stuck to the bloodied wound.

Scarlett was surprised by how bright the arc reactor was. She wondered in silence if he had to wear dark shirts to bed so that he wouldn’t wake himself up with it. While she would admit that it was nice to look at Tony Stark without his shirt on, since it was obvious he kept himself in fighting condition to be Iron Man, she wasn’t going to let it get to her. She’d seen bigger stronger men than him in little else than their birthday suits and she wasn’t going to give Tony the satisfaction of it startling her to see him.

Not that it did, she definitely wouldn’t admit that. But it definitely wasn’t doing her any favors to have him shirtless and bloodied up in front of her. There was little sexier than a man after a fight, other than a man covered in grease after getting his hands dirty all day. Shaking away that renegade thoughts, Scarlett tapped her fingers impatiently against the desk.

“Whoa. _Nothing,_ huh?” Tony leaned back in his chair, thoroughly impressed that she hadn’t reacted to him in the slightest. Her eyes hadn’t even wandered to the reactor in his chest. She was harder to read than he wished she was. Rolling back toward her in the chair, he tugged on her leg.

“You know, I’d definitely react if you were in front of _me_ half naked…” Tony urged, hoping to at least fish a compliment out of her. She smiled and shook her head, then grabbed onto his good shoulder to urge him closer. Grabbing onto both her legs, Tony attempted to pull her into his lap.

“Stark…” Scarlett yelped, but not because of how he was pulling her, instead from how he’d grabbed right onto the bandage beneath her dress.

“Oh damn! Damnit, I forgot that was there.” Tony pulled his hands away, pouted, and patted the spot on her thigh carefully as if to apologize for having grabbed her there. “Is it alright? I didn’t… make it bleed or anything?” Tony tugged at the bottom of her skirt to try and look at the wrapping of her wound. Swatting at his hand she took a deep breath and shook her head.

“It’s fine.”

“She speaks!” Tony gasped dramatically then started to tug at her waistline to pull her into his lap. “Come on, you’ll have an easier time with this if you’re in my lap.”

Scarlett laughed but didn’t respond and merely swatted his hands away from her waist again. There was no way she was going to fall for that. Somehow she knew that if she moved into his lap there was no way she was going to leave it with her clothing intact. She shook her head no and grabbed both of his hands in hers. Tony did his best to look pleading and innocent but was apparently failing because by the time she gave his hands a squeeze and let them go he was grinning from ear to ear.

“I’ll get you at some point, you know…” Tony laughed. Grabbing her ankles, he at least urged her feet to stay on either side of him in the chair. Scarlett straightened her legs so he couldn’t look up her skirt and then started to look over his shoulder. Knowing it was going to hurt, Tony braced himself, resting his hands on either side of Scarlett on the desk. Allowing him this small comfort, Scarlett started wiping the excess dirt and blood away from the wound.

Setting down the cloth, she reached for a set of tweezers and then started to touch the ends of the wounds. Tony cursed and hung his head, closing his eyes to fight off the pain he was feeling from the way she was cleaning the deep cut on his shoulder. Scarlett finally found what she was looking for and pulled out a few pieces of the crushed metal from the Mark VII suit. Setting them on the desk, she resumed cleaning up the wound with one of the cloths.

Tony was still hanging his head and looking too miserable to make any snide comments about what she was doing. She patted him gently on his good shoulder then continued to clean at the cut that had looked far nastier than it actually was. The wound wasn’t very deep so Scarlett was relieved when she found she wasn’t going to have to stitch him up. She bound the wound tightly after putting some antiseptic and numbing agent over it, then taped the gauze closed. When she finished, her hands were bloodied and Tony was still hanging his head near her leg.

He looked like he needed some comfort and while Scarlett contemplated simply getting up and leaving him to mope she felt a twisting discomfort in her stomach. How many times had she sat alone after stitching herself up after a mission and wished that Scott would’ve held her or helped her out? How many times had she been told it was her own fault for being reckless and felt so miserable she’d gone out drinking? How many times had Tony felt the same way and drank himself to sleep after a night of trying to save the world one villain at a time?

Unsure of how to go about comforting him, she gently patted him on the back of the head. Much to her surprise, Tony wrapped his arms around her middle and scooted closer to her in his rolling chair. He rested his head against her stomach and kept his eyes closed. He was grateful that she’d chosen to help him even though he’d been so rotten to her throughout the night. Why was she _still_ aiding him? At first he was sure it was because she wanted to watch him squirm around in pain as revenge for having been so harsh on her, but now that she was comforting him he was unsure.

He’d sought out comfort in the past but had never been very good at asking for it. After having been taken hostage in Afghanistan his entire life had changed. He didn’t know how to tell the people around him that he was in trouble and needed a life vest. Everyone had thought he’d handled it just fine and when he’d continued to struggle he’d been misinterpreted and left to his own destructive thoughts.

Having expected Scarlett to shove him off of her and to make some quip about him trying to get close to her or rub against her, he was surprised when she wrapped her arms around him and simply patted him on the back comfortingly. She wasn’t particularly good at offering comfort but it was enough that she tried. After a long moment, Tony lessened his grip and looked up at her.

There were a thousand different ways he was sure he could turn this moment into a sexual innuendo but none of the words seemed to pop into his head. Scarlett watched him curiously and wondered if he was alright. Maybe he had a concussion from when he’d hit his head in the suit. Deciding it had been more than enough time for him to come to grips with what he’d been through, Scarlett grabbed him by his chin again, looked him over to check if he had a concussion, then smacked him on the cheek playfully.

“Good as new, asshole.” Scarlett smiled then spun his chair around with her foot and slipped off of the desk. Her heart was thundering in her chest again just as it had been in the restaurant. Why couldn’t she just be as mad at him as she had been when she’d first woken up that morning? How had things gotten so terribly complicated in such a short amount of time? Even when he gave her good reason to despise him she’d somehow turned it around in her mind to feel pity for him.

Tony laughed a little in disbelief and watched her as she started to walk away. Getting up from his seat, he grabbed her wrist before he’d realized that he’d done it. Why couldn’t he let her walk away that easily?

“Wait, Scarlett…” Pulling her back to him, Tony caught her when she nearly stumbled in her heels.

“How come you keep nearly knocking me over?” Scarlett straightened herself up and was surprised when Tony tucked her messy hair behind her ear and out of her vision. Her playful smile completely faded as he simply stared at her. He seemed to want to say or do something but couldn’t find the words or the actions that were needed.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Tony tilted his head to the side and urged her a little closer to him. Her lips had gotten so close to his but he was resisting kissing them. Why was he so tentative about something he’d been so sure of earlier in the night? The danger had intrigued him hours ago but now, now there was something he was far more aware of than he’d been earlier.

“You called me Tony…” He couldn’t help but smile, resting his hand on her cheek. Scarlett resisted leaning into the touch and tried to recall when she’d slipped. She realized that when they’d been arguing back and forth on the phone and she’d been worried that he wasn’t okay, she’d slipped and used his real name.

“You can’t prove that…” Scarlett said after a moment. Tony exhaled loudly and laughed under his breath.

“You’re right, I can’t…” Tony shook his head, moistened his lips slowly then leaned closer to her. “It wouldn’t be so bad if we…”

“It’s a terrible idea.” Scarlett whispered but didn’t take her eyes away from his. 

“I know, but it could also be a good idea… maybe…” Tony tugged her ever closer, his arm firmly around her waist now, the other hand still wrapped around her wrist. When had he done that? When had he pulled her body so close against his? How had she _let_ him do it?

Scarlett decided she was going to let him kiss her. She’d had ample time to run away, to pull from his arms but she had made the calculated decision to let him get it over with. The pretense of it actually happening was damn near killing her. Maybe she would kiss him and nothing would happen. Maybe he would fall short and the tension would die out and she could continue with business as usual. At least she could hope that would be what happened.

Tony hesitated but only for a moment. The nagging doubt in his mind was something new for him. He’d never been _afraid_ to kiss someone before. But then again, he’d never exactly been in this sort of situation before. Deciding to bite the bullet and go for it, he leaned close enough to kiss her.

Jarvis spoke overhead interrupting them both in their thoughts.

“Miss Potts is home and on her way downstairs.” Scarlett immediately pulled out of Tony’s grasp. Tony simply stared at the spot she’d been standing in and stuck his tongue between his lips, trying to quiet the three thousand vocal and physical objections he’d had to her pulling away. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and thought about how Pepper had become the biggest cock block on the planet in the last twelve hours.

Before he could say anything, and before Scarlett could try to break the awkward silence, the door to the lab opened. Pepper came slowly down the stairs, smiled to see Tony and was even more excited to see Scarlett there. She was blissfully unaware of what had been happening before her arrival.

Going over to the woman, Pepper gave her a tight hug. Tony cocked a curious eyebrow and watched the exchange with amusement.

“Thank you so much.” Pepper couldn’t find the proper words to express her gratitude. “I know I doubted you and I made that clear when I first called but you really came through for all of us today. If you hadn’t jumped into action then Tony would’ve died and us likely along with him. You really proved your worth tonight.” Pepper pulled away and then cleared her throat and looked over at Tony.

“Are you done with your… lady crush moment here?” Tony pointed between the two, trying to disguise his discomfort with amusement.

“Rude.” Pepper pursed her lips then turned back to Scarlett. “I hope he apologized for his behavior earlier.”

“Um, no he didn’t actually.” Scarlett glanced over at Tony for a moment. Had this been any other moment she would’ve harassed Tony about an apology, using Pepper as her defense but instead she simply wanted to run away as quickly as possible. Now that the moment where he’d nearly kissed her a second time had passed, she was feeling rather sick to her stomach and confused.

“Well, he probably won’t. But I’m sorry for him if it means anything.” Pepper gave Scarlett a comforting pat on the arm.

“That’s alright. I get why he was so mad at me.”

“Really? Because I don’t understand it at all.” Pepper furrowed her brow then laughed. When neither one of them laughed with her she looked between them then around the room. Scarlett’s hands were bloody and it’d taken Pepper a few minutes to realize Tony was without his shirt. “Was I… interrupting something?” Pepper made a motion between the two.

“Scarlett was just helping me out with my shoulder.” Tony shrugged his shoulder and rotated it, all too aware that he was now walking around half dressed. It hadn’t been in his mind to get his shirt back on when he’d been trying to pull Scarlett back to his lips. In fact, until Pepper had arrived it was working to his advantage.

“I told you that you should’ve gone to the hospital with me Tony. That was too nasty to take care of on your own.” Pepper scolded in a mothering tone.

“Honestly, I was just going to wait for you to take care of it when you got back.” Tony grinned childishly then started toward the two women.

“Oh, because I would’ve been able to handle that severe a wound. You’re lucky that it looks like Scarlett knows what she’s doing.”

“He is lucky.” Scarlett added in. “You hear that? You’re _lucky_.” A playful smirk on her face, Scarlett was hoping she could shake the awkward tension that Pepper was obviously picking up on.

“I don’t like you two getting along.” Tony chuckled and walked past the two, toward the door of the lab.

“Get over it.” Pepper rolled her eyes. “I don’t have a concussion by the way, thanks for asking.”

“Oh, good. So you can still work tomorrow?” Tony smirked.

“I hate to interrupt…” Scarlett cleared her throat. “But I think I’m going to head upstairs and go to bed. I’m… exhausted.” The last thing she wanted was to be left alone with Tony after Pepper had decided to go lay down. If Scarlett left now, then Tony and Pepper would be left alone and she wouldn’t be forced into another close call driven by her hormones.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Tony nodded quickly. He didn’t want her to go upstairs by herself, but he was still incredibly confused by his sudden hesitation in the face of a sexual situation. Not to mention he was frustrated that Pepper had stopped them a second time when they’d gotten so close.

“You must be drained. What a long day, right? Your first day conscious here and you’ve had to deal with him and, well, all of this chaos tonight.” Pepper laughed. “You deserve some rest.”

“Well, I plan on getting it.”

“Hey, Scarlett?” Tony walked over to hold open the door to the lab for her, leaning against it casually.

“What now, Stark?” Scarlett was wary of what he was going to say to her.

“Thanks.” Tony nodded toward his shoulder and the job she’d done wrapping it. “For helping me out even though I was being a baby about it.”

Scarlett walked toward the door, stopped in front of it then leaned over and smacked Tony’s ass and hard too. He jumped nearly a mile and looked at her with wide eyes.

“You’re welcome.” Scarlett started to walk away and then looked over her shoulder at him. “That was payback for earlier, by the way.” Walking up the stairs and back to the guest room she’d become so incredibly acquainted with, she decided that the night hadn’t been a complete waste after all.

Tony couldn’t help but smirk as he turned against the door to watch Scarlett walk up the stairs. She wasn’t running away from him, she’d made that more than perfectly clear. He had half a mind to follow her upstairs to the guest room but thought better of it.

“What was that all about earlier?” Pepper laughed, looking completely confused but somewhat entertained.

“I smacked her ass earlier.” Tony shrugged his shoulders then nearly jumped a mile when Pepper smacked him on his wounded shoulder. Dramatically he whined and whimpered and then held his shoulder and pouted.

“God, you’re lucky she has a good sense of humor. You’re going to end up getting sued, or worse Tony. I wouldn’t be surprised if she kicked your ass.” Pepper started out the door then up the stairs. “Get some sleep Tony.” She ordered without turning around.

“Oh, I will.” Tony watched Pepper walk upstairs then leaned against the glass door of his lab. Closing his eyes he took a few deep breaths to try and absorb everything that had transpired. Somehow he knew that he would get very little sleep at all. Instead of heading upstairs, he walked back into his lab, prepared to work on his suit until it was repaired.


	14. A Deal with the Devil

Her eyes were burning painfully and itching like crazy. Reaching to rub away the discomfort, Scarlett found she was incapable because her right wrist was bound. Blinking awake in a panic, she jumped alert as quickly as she could. She’d been exhausted when she’d fallen asleep the night before and was finding it hard to shake the fog of sleep from her mind. Where was the plush bed she remembered falling asleep in? Where was Tony Stark annoyingly telling her that she’d slept in for too long, or making bad Sleeping Beauty jokes and trying to make a move on her? Sitting up straight, Scarlett found that her right wrist was shackled with handcuffs to the railing of an old worn cot that barely provided any comfort.

She was back in her prison in Africa. At least that was her best educated guess. There was no proof that was where she was, but deep in her gut she knew that MedCo had found her and taken her prisoner again. The lights were flickering overhead from unstable electricity and the walls were trembling from some sort of explosion within the building or overhead. Dust fell from the ceiling and the support beams groaned, threatening collapse. Rolling out of bed and maneuvering her wrist to follow so she could, Scarlett didn’t have time to pick the lock binding her to the bed so instead she started to wriggle her wrist around in an attempt to maneuver out of the handcuffs. How had she gotten back to Africa without noticing? Had she never left in the first place? Maybe the blow to her head had given her a concussion and now she was finally waking up to her reality.

Not given time to rationalize what had befallen her or how it had come to be, Scarlett heard the door creak open behind her. She worked faster at her wrist and searched around the cot for something to defend herself with. Finding nothing she instead continued to try and free herself. Gritting her teeth and grunting in pain, she pushed at her thumb to try and force it into an unnatural place. The pain shot through her hand as the metal cuffs cut into her palm. Turning to look over her shoulder while she ignored the pain and pushed on the cuff, she saw something that made her stop her struggling entirely.

There were silhouettes in the doorway battling each other. Someone was coming in for her, by force. Who could it have been? The guard at her door was arguing with the person who wanted to come into her room. Then there was a shot fired that made Scarlett jump out of her skin and struggle harder with the cuff. It was no use. Even if she dislocated her thumb she wouldn’t be able to get out of the cuff. Instead she started looking for something to pick the lock with. Handcuff locks were relatively simple to get through, but it would be nearly impossible if she couldn’t find something small enough to manipulate the lock with.

The guard at the door fell to the ground in a bloody pile. Scarlett stood, hunched slightly forward thanks to the constricting cuff on her wrist. The floor was cold against her bare feet. She would have to work with her situation to fight off this new intruder. Her gut had taught her to never expect a hero to come and save her. Usually when someone came into your jail cell with a gun, they were after much more than your freedom. Much to her surprise, her visitor was one that she recognized and she knew he wasn’t there to cause her any harm.

“Time to go, yes?” The man revealed himself as Sergei. He was the guard who had shown her such kindness in her original prison and he had come to save her. Why would he betray his company for someone like her? Now wasn’t the time for questions, but the time to flee. He was giving her an opportunity and she had to jump at the chance to take it. Once she escaped, she could find out Sergei’s true motives.

“I’m afraid that I’ve become rather attached to this place.” Scarlett wiggled her wrist so that the handcuff clanked against the frame of the cot. Humor always got the best of her in tense situations. Sergei chuckled then hurried over to her and slipped a handcuff key out of his pocket. About to slip his key into the lock a noise behind him made him hesitate. Someone was approaching the cell she’d been held in. Clearly someone had realized that an intruder had broken into the facility.

“We must hurry.” Sergei handed her the key and started to the doorway, clearly wanting to buy her time, his gun in hand.

“No, don’t go out that way. There’s always another way out and if you block the door we can find it.” Scarlett hissed, though she wasn’t so sure they had the time to find a second exit or to make one on their own. She hadn’t gotten the chance to see what else her room had to offer her but she was sure that if there was anything electronic for her to get her hands on then she would manage to create something that could help them out in a time crunch.

Before Sergei could respond to her a faceless man had grabbed him and pulled him into the hallway and out of sight. Scarlett couldn’t help anyone if she was tethered to the cot so she worked on the lock instead. Getting her now sore and bloodied wrist free from the shackle on her arm she pocketed the key for later use. Hurrying to the doorway she stopped to watch as the intruder twisted Sergei’s arm back and kicked him to the ground where he stumbled on his knees, then shot him in the back several times. The body of her Russian friend fell back into the room.

“No, no!” Scarlett hurried over to her fallen friend and urged him to his feet. He stumbled but she had to support most of his weight. He touched her cheek and tried to gather her attention while trying to get her to let him go.

“You must see the truth.” He whispered.

“Don’t talk, okay? You probably punctured a lung and talking will only make it worse.” Scarlett could feel her body trembling with fear, but she knew that Sergei didn’t have a chance if she fell apart. Hurrying back into the room she kicked the door closed. The sound echoed as she dragged Sergei over to the cot. He was giving up. She could feel him becoming dead weight in her arms.

“You are too late, Scarlett.” His bloodied, gloved hand touched her cheek to get her to focus on him again. Blood was pouring from his lips. How had his wound affected him so devastatingly, so quickly?

“It’s never too late. I can help you just… Hold on. I need a pen. If I can find a pen I can do this!” Scarlett grabbed onto his wrist, partially knowing it was too late to save the man who had risked his neck to save her.

“You cannot save everyone.” Sergei’s voice was broken and fading. He was coughing and gagging and spitting blood out of his mouth so he could keep talking.

“I don’t need to save everyone, just you.” Scarlett insisted. Sergei’s hand fell from her cheek, the effort of keeping it up becoming too great.

“No.” Sergei coughed and then pointed a finger at her and poked her chest. “You.” With that, the light faded from his eyes and his hand fell onto his chest. His breathing stopped and the life left him entirely. Scarlett stared at Sergei, unsure of what to do now that her friend had died. He’d risked his life to come and save her when she’d given him nothing but trouble from the moment they’d met. Leaning down to kiss his forehead, she started to search his body for something to defend herself with.

Finding a pocket knife strapped to his belt, Scarlett froze when the door to her cell opened behind her. Whoever had killed Sergei had decided to finally come into the room. Why had they waited in the first place? It was unlike ruthless men to let people say their goodbyes.

Turning to look at her masked assailant, her hands gripped hard onto the knife she’d taken from Sergei. They wouldn’t kill her, not the way they killed Sergei. If they’d spared her in the desert after she’d blown up their facility then they still needed her for something. Flipping open the knife she swallowed her fear and prepared herself to avenge the life of her friend and fight for her freedom.

Before she could take a step forward the masked man held up his handgun and shot her once in the shoulder and then twice in the chest. She stumbled backwards but kept her grip on the knife. Leaning against the wall she tried to will her body to keep going but it was no use. There was no bulletproof vest to protect her, no second chances. Why would they fight so hard to keep her alive only to shoot her point blank?

There was no pain as she had expected there to be. Instead she merely slumped against the wall and coughed. It was becoming hard to breathe. Her lungs were filling with blood, and it would choke her in a matter of moments.

The man holstered his gun and walked over to Scarlett. Grabbing her chin he forced her to look at him though she still struggled meagerly in an attempt to be defiant. Grabbing onto his wrist with one hand she tried in vain to force his hand away. Her hand merely slipped on his leather glove and fell onto his arm. Coughing and gagging still, she tried to fight the darkness surrounding her. She felt ill, bile in the back of her throat, mixed with blood. Her body was slipping into the cold clutches of death.

The masked man laughed at her, mocking her.

“You didn’t have to kill him. He just wanted to help me.” Scarlett managed to speak, blood pooling in the back of her mouth soon after, making her cough again.

“You made me, Scarlett. You made it come to this.” The voice was familiar but she couldn’t place her finger on it; it was cold but still familiar. Scarlett didn’t respond and simply stared at the man who had ended her life and the life of the man who had done nothing to deserve it. “You manipulate everyone around you to get what you deem is best. You bring nothing but _death_ and _corruption_.”

Reaching up to his face, he pulled off his mask and let it hang behind his head where it was attached to his shirt. Scott stared back at her, his green eyes filled with hatred, rage and something far more terrifying: _blame_.

Scarlett couldn’t respond. How could he say those things? How could the man she fought so hard to save tell her that she was the great manipulator? The worst part was that he was _right_ and she knew it. She had never cared before this moment who had gotten in her way and who had suffered, so why was it killing her now? The knife slipped from her hands, clattering onto the floor and echoing around the room.

“You’ll get what you deserve.” Scott’s voice echoed around her just as the sound of the knife had, feeling almost ethereal. Had his lips even moved? Closing her eyes Scarlett waited for death to take her. When she didn’t fade out of existence she opened her eyes and found the barrel of Scott’s gun in front of her. When he pulled the trigger she braced herself for death.

Scarlett jumped sat up straight in bed very suddenly. Her stomach was churning in misery and her head was aching and pounding. Blinking her eyes open, she quickly prepared herself for a fight but when she found none to meet her in the guest room of the Stark mansion she wasn’t sure what to do. Someone had yelped when she’d jumped up so Scarlett searched for that instead.

“I’m sorry!” Pepper was shielding herself in case Scarlett came after her defensively. Scarlett tried to relax but her heart was pounding in her throat, making her feel sick to her stomach. Touching her forehead she felt her skin covered in a cold sweat. The wound on her leg was throbbing painfully, like she’d been putting unnecessary pressure on it. On top of that her hand was bloody. Moving the sheets on the bed she found them bloodied as well on top of her. Scarlett could hear Pepper talking but was ignoring her for the time being. She must have clawed through her bandages while she’d slept. If nothing else, the blood on her leg seemed to have caked and dried so it didn’t require immediate attention.

Flopping back down onto the bed Scarlett closed her eyes and tried to gather her bearings. What kind of hellish nightmare had that been? What did it mean, if anything at all? There wasn’t any time to ponder the meanings of her subconscious. Scarlett could only guess that it was her guilty conscience finally catching up with her after years of having been ignored during a selfish life.

“Are you okay?” Pepper’s voice finally broke through Scarlett’s conflicting thoughts. Apparently the woman had realized that she’d been ignored and had stopped trying to explain herself or make conversation. Scarlett tugged the blankets over her leg to hide it from view. There was no hiding the blood on her palm but she could at least avoid having Tony’s assistant fret over her needlessly.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Scarlett’s voice sounded distant and odd to her own ears. Why couldn’t she shake the haze from her nightmare? The churning in her stomach continued but Scarlett refused to do anything about it. Sitting back up after a moment spent catching her breath, Scarlett finally managed to force a smile for Pepper.

A glass of water descended from the ceiling, courtesy of Jarvis. Scarlett couldn’t help but smile at the caring and mothering nature the robot seemed to sometimes exhibit. Steadying her shaking hands, Scarlett took the glass and drank the entire thing in one go. Maybe she was dehydrated from the alcohol she had the night before with Tony? They had consumed more than she’d had in a very long time. Not to mention she’d eaten real food for the first time in weeks so her stomach had a thousand reasons to be unsettled.

“I scratched open my leg while I slept, it’s dried up already though so no worries.” Scarlett acknowledged the blood on her hand before Pepper could say anything about it.

“If you want I can have Tony come and look at it…” The redhead seemed wary to let it go unnoticed.

“No!” Scarlett held up her hand defensively. Pepper tried to hide her amusement but wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

“I can’t say I blame you for not wanting to see him after the way he behaved last night.” Pepper sat down on the edge of the bed. Scarlett adjusted the dress she’d fallen asleep in the night before and sat on the edge of the bed next to Pepper.

“No, I just don’t need to give him another reason to look up my skirt right now. I can handle it just fine.” The burn was itching and aching horribly, but Scarlett had always been good at stomaching her pain. It had become part of her job; to be able to mask pain in dangerous situations. But when had her situation at the Stark mansion become a dangerous one? The nightmare was getting to her and she was struggling to shake it. The only other time she’d suffered such severe post traumatic stress symptoms had been when she had returned from her job in Afghanistan. But then she’d had time in a hospital to recover. As far as she was concerned, her current mission was still in progress. There was no time to fall apart and pick up the pieces of her shattered psyche.

“Alright, I can understand that.” Pepper laughed but then cleared her throat and looked at the woman seriously. Obviously she had more of a reason to come into her room other than to wake her up. “I wanted to apologize to you, for last night.”

“Didn’t you already apologize for last night?” Scarlett pushed her unruly hair out of her face. She must have tossed and turned something fierce for it to be as horribly messy as it was.

“I did, but… I wanted to do it again without Tony around.” Pepper got up and paced the floor, hands on her hips. “When those men said they were looking for a woman that wasn’t me, I jumped to conclusions. I thought… who else could it be besides you? I’m a little overprotective of Tony sometimes.”

“Well, it’s only natural.” Scarlett shrugged, watching Pepper and trying to analyze the conversation. If she could just focus on anything other than her thoughts, she’d be okay. “You two dated, right? Briefly, according to the papers at least.”

“Oh, you know?” Pepper’s cheeks turned pink and she immediately became defensive on the subject. “I’m sure you’re wondering how I could be intimately involved with… that and then simply return to this position when it didn’t work out.”

“Honestly, it’s the furthest thing from my mind right now.” Scarlett didn’t care much about Tony’s past love life, though something twisted in her stomach despite her objections. She couldn’t even consider what the feeling was and attributed it to a hangover.

“Well, I’m going to explain it anyway.” Pepper half smiled, but still seemed nervous about her past. “I couldn’t handle being his girlfriend. I can barely handle being his assistant. We’d had years of… unresolved tension and once that was out of the way there wasn’t much left to go on. He was still the same overly complicated and conflicted man he was before we’d dated and I was still the woman who needed something stable. I couldn’t fix him and ultimately that’s what I wanted. He told me he wasn’t broken so… we agreed that we could stay friends.”

“Friends who saw each other naked that is. That _always_ ends well.” Scarlett scoffed sardonically, which seemed to startle Pepper and take her off guard. Feeling awkward and not having meant to offend the woman she cleared her throat. “Sorry, that’s just… in my nature. I meant no offense.”

“I guess we don’t know each other very well yet.” Pepper smiled after a moment and decided not to let the comment upset her. “You’re not wrong though. It doesn’t usually end well in those situations but… Tony was always more than that. Tony is my friend and I will always care about him but… I do my best for him by being his assistant and he does his best for me by being my boss.”

“You _really_ don’t owe me an explanation. I don’t really care about Tony’s romantic life.” Scarlett yawned and rubbed her fingers over the sore area on her leg. She took to chipping away dried blood from the swollen skin after she felt it rough underneath her fingertips.

“I know I don’t _owe_ you anything I just…” Sighing heavily, Pepper stopped pacing and stood in front of Scarlett then shook her head. “I was just explaining why I was so overprotective. When those men said they were after a woman last night I thought you were another person out for Tony’s blood.” Scarlett didn’t react, but wondered if Pepper had any idea how close to the truth she was. Clearly the woman wanted to see the best in her after the night before. “I never considered it could be anything else. It’s no secret that Tony’s had more lady trouble in a year than most people have in a lifetime.”

“Yeah, he’s a dirty slut.” Scarlett tried to lighten the mood. It seemed to work, since Pepper couldn’t resist laughing at her comment.

“Yes but… you saved his life. Even after he trapped you in the guest room you convinced Jarvis to let you out. I know he’s mad that you overrode his orders but he wasn’t seeing things from where I was.” Pepper looked distant as she spoke. “He was going to die if you didn’t do something. They were firing at him repeatedly with something I’d never seen before and while I’m not an expert with weapons or anything like Tony is, I knew it was bad. I had never seen blood come out of the suit before that moment.”

“He was in trouble.” Scarlett took a deep breath. “I knew he would be.”

“How did you know? If they weren’t after you, then how could you possibly know?” Pepper knelt down in front of Scarlett and looked curious of her answer. There was nothing accusing in her words, just simple inquisitiveness

“I can’t explain that.” Shrugging, Scarlett looked past Pepper and out the window that had brightened up so she could see through it again. When she’d fallen asleep, Jarvis must have darkened the windows like a screen to block out the light. “I had a bad feeling. When I heard you on the other end of that phone I just knew that something bad was happening and I knew that I could help but Tony… Tony didn’t want me to come with him.”

“He was just worried about you.” Pepper smiled softly, trying to defend her boss’ actions.

“He was worried that I’d be a liability not _about_ me.”

“That’s a considerable amount of worry coming from Tony, nonetheless.” Pepper clarified. “Regardless, I wanted to say that I was sorry for jumping to conclusions about you without giving you a fair chance to defend yourself. Even if they were after you last night, I had no reason not to trust you.”

“But you had no reason to trust me either.” Scarlett leaned an elbow on her good knee and propped her chin up in her hand.

“Still, I’m sorry for getting upset with you. And I’m sorry that Tony flipped his lid when he should’ve been begging for your forgiveness and thanking you from the bottom of his heart.”

“I’m guessing that Tony doesn’t do much begging for anything or anyone.” Scarlett laughed. “Really Pepper, I appreciate the apology but it’s not necessary. I am a stranger here. I don’t exactly trust the two of you either and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. After what I’ve been through and what you deal with every single day thanks to Tony’s super hero persona neither one of us should be trusting so easily.”

“Thank you for being so understanding. But I am still sorry.” Pepper smiled kindly. She hadn’t expected Scarlett to be so forgiving. In truth, Scarlett wasn’t forgiving, or at least she didn’t see it that way. She thought she was being realistic. It was the most honest thing she’d said that day so far. Her head was still spinning from the nightmare that had woke her up and all she wanted was for Pepper to go away for a few minutes so she could figure things out.

“Again, no need.”

“I had the chef prepare breakfast for the three of us. If you’d like to get cleaned up and meet us downstairs in the dining room that would be wonderful. I’m sure you don’t know your way around quite yet, so I’ll have Jarvis guide you like he did yesterday.” Pepper got back to her feet and started toward the door.

“That sounds great actually. My stomach isn’t doing so well so I don’t know how much I can eat, but I’d prefer to have something even if it’s small.” Scarlett made a face of discomfort, touching her stomach which seemed tender.

“Yeah, Tony won’t admit it but he’s got a hangover too. Every time I try to suggest it he has a thousand other reasons as to why it couldn’t be a hangover.” Pepper laughed. “I’ll get you some antacids that you can take with your breakfast.”

“Thanks, I just need to get changed then I’ll join you.” Scarlett moved to get off of the bed but immediately collapsed onto the ground. Her leg had given out entirely beneath her the moment she’d tried to put any weight on it. Lying on the floor and blinking up at the ceiling in awe, Scarlett took a moment to realize what the hell had just happened to her.

“Scarlett! Are you okay? Jarvis! Call Tony, something’s wrong with Scarlett.” Pepper knelt down next to Scarlett and fretted over her. She noticed the blood on the sheets and gasped, covering her mouth. “Oh god, are you okay?”

“No, no Jarvis don’t call Tony…” Scarlett sat up and pushed herself back onto the bed, testing the weight on her leg all the while. It would support her but she would have to be more careful with the way she walked.

“Jarvis, call Tony,” Pepper repeated.

“Yes, Miss Potts.” The robot responded after he was sure orders were done being tossed about the room. Scarlett grimaced and looked down at her sore leg. She started to tear the bandaging off of her wound and looked at the terrible burn there. The scab was seeping and covered in pus. Whatever she’d been burned by was still taking a toll on her skin.

“I told you, I irritated it while I was sleeping.” Scarlett looked up from the wound in an attempt to calm Pepper down but the redheaded woman was covering her mouth in disgust and staring at her leg. “Oh come on, it’s not _that_ bad. You’re being dramatic.”

“It’s really not that bad, Pepper.” Tony came into the room, looking down at his phone all the while, tapping buttons on the crystal clear screen. “She’s a little squeamish sometimes. I get a cut while working on one of my cars and she’s walking around acting like I lost a whole finger.” Tony wiggled the fingers of his left hand as an example.

“Your assistance is not needed.” Scarlett waved Tony off. He was avoiding looking at her for whatever reason. Slipping his phone back into the pocket of his jeans, he stopped in front of them.

“I’m always needed, Scarlett.” Tony snapped his fingers and motioned for Pepper to get out of the way. “Jarvis, I need the same stuff from yesterday.” Sitting down on the bed next to Scarlett he grabbed her shoulder and tugged her closer to him. He was still avoiding eye contact. There were deep bags under his eyes like he hadn’t slept very well and bruises had started to appear on his skin from the fight the night before. The cut on his forehead had turned a nasty shade of green.

“I’m fine. I just scratched it up while I slept.”

“I think that dress rubbed against it a bit too.” Tony tugged the hem of the dress, now caked in blood, up a bit and out of the way. Scarlett placed her hand over the hem of the dress and pushed down between her legs so that Tony wasn’t getting a free show of any kind. Much to her surprise, he didn’t make a snide comment about what she’d done.

“Tony, how’s your head doing?” Pepper seemed just as concerned when she noticed the opportunity to make a dirty joke had slipped right past him.

“For the last time, Potts, I don’t have a hangover. I was electrocuted like… what twelve times in a row? I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to be a _little_ bitchy.” Tony shot her a disapproving look then once Jarvis had delivered the first aid kit to him had started to clean up the bloodied wound. Scarlett hissed in discomfort and bit her lip but kept her leg still for Tony to clean. Pepper covered her mouth, looking pale and nauseated.

“Are you sure that she doesn’t need to see a _real_ doctor for that, Tony? It’s really nasty looking…” Pepper swallowed her nerve and asked, but she still had a look of disgust on her face.

“Pepper, it’s really not that bad. If you’re going to be squeamish why don’t you head downstairs and avoid the situation entirely. Though I’m sure you don’t really want to look at scrambled eggs after this either.” Despite his amusing comment, no smile came to his face.

“Tony!” Pepper scolded and swatted him. He jumped defensively and gave her an annoyed look before returning to clean Scarlett’s wound. After he had finished cleaning up the mess she’d made in the night, he applied the chemical agent to her leg. It stung and her leg visibly trembled with pain. Tony placed a comforting hand on her knee to stop her trembling and continued to apply the chemical along the wound.

Tony was sending Scarlett three hundred different signals and not a single one of them made sense. Trying to figure out what he was thinking was exhausting and Scarlett did not have the energy for it at the time. She decided to simply take everything at face value. Constantly analyzing her situation had become strenuous, particularly after the night she’d had. After having been deprived of rest in an adequate bed for so long she thought that her first night of slumber in the Stark mansion would’ve been like a dream but instead it’d turned into a literal nightmare.

“There. Good as new.” Tony patted her knee after wrapping up the wound then stood up. “Pepper, make sure the sheets are changed and cleaned for tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have to do this every morning for a few days until the wound starts to heal on its own.” Without looking at either woman he left the room. Both stared at the doorway in confusion for a moment before continuing on.

“Why don’t you get changed and then meet us downstairs?” Pepper forced a smile and waited until she was sure Scarlett could support herself on her wounded leg before speaking again. Scarlett got up from the bed and slowly stepped forward. After a moment of adjusting to the weakness and pain in her leg she was able to manage just as well as she had done the day before. “There are clean clothes in the closet for you and toiletries in the bathroom. If you need anything at all, ask Jarvis and it will be provided for you.”

“Thank you Miss Potts.” Scarlett nodded politely.

“Please, it’s Pepper. Last names are such formalities around here.” Waving, the redhead left the room clearly talking to someone on the other side of the door after she was out of earshot. Limping over to the closet, Scarlett continued to test the strength of her leg. She picked out an off the shoulder, red and black striped short dress for the day. She decided it was best to avoid jeans until her leg wasn’t in such poor condition.

On the other side of the door, Tony was arguing with Pepper over his plans for the day. Tony Stark had an incredibly long night after Scarlett had gone to bed and Pepper had left him to his own devices. He hadn’t even attempted to get to sleep until around three in the morning. Instead he’d spent hours rummaging through what was left of the coding from his damaged Mark. Then he’d taken to trying to get the dent out of his car and finally he had started repairing his suit to the best of his ability. There were a lot of pieces that had to be fabricated from scratch so he’d gotten Jarvis to start with the process early that morning.

But after all of that he watched the footage that Jarvis had of Scarlett trying to get out of her bedroom. She’d been worried about him and sincerely worried from what he could tell. What had he done to warrant that kind of affection and care from her at all, if it was even such emotions that had driven her to run to his aid? Then he’d watched her sleeping while he continued upon his confused thoughts. She’d tossed and turned the entire night long. Eventually Tony had fallen asleep at his desk, watching the video feed.

Pepper had woken him hours later and had tried to convince him to go upstairs and rest in his bed. Instead Tony had cut off the video feeds he’d been watching and had started working on his Mark again. He hadn’t been able to shake the conflict in his mind and even after he’d been able to talk to Scarlett again while cleaning her wound he’d had a hard time getting back into the swing of being his usual self.

Now he was hanging out in the hallway outside of Scarlett’s room and waiting for her to come out of it so he could help her down the stairs. Of course, he could’ve instructed Pepper to do so or Happy even but he’d decided that he would rather do it himself. As far as he was concerned, he was still testing her to see where her loyalties lie. He still needed to get the information on MedCo from her even though he’d started to consider that maybe she had no big lead that would help him take down the company that had used his weapons to commit a list of atrocities a mile long. Either way, it was his excuse for hanging around outside of her room.

The door to the guest room opened, and his mind went blank. Scarlett looked far better than she had when he’d been working on her wound. He didn’t offer her a smile or make the first remark that popped into his head which had been about her legs. Instead he nodded toward the stairs.

“Figured you could use some help with that bum leg.”

“Down the stairs?” Scarlett cocked a curious eyebrow. She wasn’t used to Tony being a gentleman of any kind so instead she walked right past him and started down the stairs on her own, holding the railing to assist her.

“You know, I was trying to do something nice for you.”

“I’m not a fragile princess, I can handle some stairs. I put too much weight on my leg when I woke up and fell down. It’s not the end of the world. You people don’t know how to deal with serious wounds around here do you?” Scarlett waved him off as she walked down the stairs. Her leg was hurting but once again whatever magical chemical Tony had put on her wound was helping to take the edge off.

“Fine, your highness.” Tony followed her down the stairs but couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to know she had no plans on treating him any differently than she had before they’d had their moment together the night before. So why couldn’t he do the same? Maybe he really did have a hangover, though he would never admit it to Pepper. It had become a game between them over the years. The great Tony Stark had a supreme tolerance to liquor. It would take nothing short of an elephant tranquilizer to leave him feeling groggy.

“I have absolutely no idea where I’m going from here. So, if you like, now you can help me.” Scarlett turned to face Tony at the bottom of the stairs.

“This way.” Tony snapped his fingers then started past her and led her through the first floor of the house. In the center of a large room was a modest but beautifully polished wooden dining table. The windows were from floor to ceiling as they were through the rest of the house and overlooked the ocean. Tony took his seat on the far end of the table. When Scarlett went to sit on the other side of it, Pepper walked over to her and stopped her.

“No, no… Why don’t you sit over here? Next to Tony. We’ve already got the waiters ready to serve you there.” Pepper pulled out the chair next to Tony.

“There are like twelve other places to sit at this table and you want me to sit _next_ to him? I’m not even going to ask what you’re smoking, I just expect you to leave some of it in my room for later.” Scarlett took the seat without further objection. Tony tried not to laugh but couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

“I second that, Pepper.” Tony picked up the newspaper that had been left in his spot for him and was browsing through the financial section of it. Pepper sat on the opposite end of the table across from Tony and patted the spot in front of her plate. Rolling his eyes, Tony pulled the lifestyle section of the paper out and tossed it at Pepper.

A moment later a waiter came from the next room holding a tray with three breakfast filled plates on it. Scarlett’s stomach turned at the idea of eating anything. She would have to start small if she could manage. The food she’d had the night before wasn’t sitting properly thanks to the alcohol in her system combined with her poor diet over the weeks past.

“You know, Tony… I do think that Scarlett did an excellent job taking care of your wounds last night.” Pepper cleared her throat and broke the tense silence that followed after the waiter had left their plates in front of them. Tony flopped the front of his paper down and narrowed his eyes at Pepper knowingly. He was well aware of what she was trying to do there. She could sense that something was tense and awkward between them and she was trying to break it by forcing them to interact. Pushing the paper back into place, licking his thumb and turning a page he nodded his head.

“Yep, though I didn’t need anyone’s help.”

“Oh don’t argue, you needed more help than I did.” Pepper laughed and pointed to the wound on her head. “Honestly I should’ve just come back here and let you handle it Scarlett, you did a far more efficient job working on him than the doctors in the emergency room did for me. And trust me it’s hard to work on him. He doesn’t stop squirming and he’s such a big baby.”

“He winced before I even touched him with the antiseptic.” Scarlett poked at the eggs on her plate before eating a small bite of them. Her throat immediately rejected the idea of swallowing the food but she forced it down anyway. In theory, she knew how to handle the recovery of what she’d been through but the practice of actually handling it was much harder than anticipated. Her stomach churned audibly in objection but it went ignored.

“Oh I did not.” Tony pouted, looking over at Scarlett for a moment. It was hard not to notice the little things about her now that he’d spent more time with her. She was avoiding eating, but he wasn’t going to comment on it.

“He does that every time I have to help him take care of a small scrape.” Pepper grinned without looking up from her newspaper. “But you did a great job handling him. When I saw the bandaging this morning it was all still in place.”

“She walked in on me after I’d fallen asleep in my lab.” Tony folded up his newspaper and gave Pepper a daring look, like if she said one more word about what she’d walked in on in the morning that he would launch himself over the table and shut her up. Despite it all there was a smile on his lips.

“Well, you’re welcome.” Scarlett took a sip of the coffee in front of her. “Good lord, that is the most amazing thing that I have _ever_ had in my mouth.” Unable to help but smile, she wondered if it would prompt Tony to make a joke. Even Pepper was laughing at how ridiculous that had been.

“That was too easy. Give me a harder one.” Tony seemed to consider making a lewd comment but had chosen against it.

“That’s what she said.” Scarlett took another sip of the coffee and before Tony could make a comment looked to Pepper. “I haven’t had decent coffee in nearly four years. This is… just wonderful.”

“It’s a Kona blend, freshly ground too.” Pepper smiled. “There’s plenty more where that came from so please, drink up.”

“Don’t tempt me. I’ll have you just give me an IV drip of it.” Scarlett started back at her food again.

“When did you two team up?” Tony pointed his finger between the two women. “Why are you friends now?”

“We never _weren’t_ friends.” Pepper shrugged.

“Just yesterday you were accusing her of being up to no good. I was in over my head, remember?” Tony took a sip of his own coffee then looked down at the cup in surprise. “…this actually is really good.”

“I wasn’t joking.” Scarlett glanced over at him. He seemed to be getting over whatever awkwardness had taken him over. The three continued to enjoy their coffee and food in silence momentarily before Pepper spoke again in an attempt to continue cracking away at the discomfort.

“Did Tony need stitches?” Pepper still looked over her newspaper, no longer trying to hide the glee on her face.

“No. Pepper. I didn’t need stitches.” Tony answered for Scarlett, talking over her. “I used two rolls of gauze and half a roll of tape and I don’t have a concussion. What else would you like to know about my health?” Tony folded his arms on the table and watched his assistant. The light and amusement was back on his face. Whatever Pepper had done had broken the cycle of bad thoughts he’d fallen into. Or perhaps it was just thanks to how damn good the coffee was.

“I was just thinking that she did such a good job at helping you last night and she deserved a bit of praise.” Pepper was more than hinting at this point.

“That’s right.” Tony leaned his elbow on the table, batted his eyelashes at Scarlett and pursed his lips. “Thank you so much for going out of your way to help me last night, Miss Damien.”

“Despite…” Scarlett couldn’t help but egg the situation on. It was a lot better to joke around than it was to deal with the awkward tension Tony had insisted upon bringing into the room earlier.

“Despite the fact that I was a complete and total ass and practically kidnapped you a third time. Yeah, yeah I get it… I was wrong. Alright? Happy? Hope you’re recording this Jarvis because I’m not saying it again.” Tony pointed up at the ceiling. “I’m just kidding, erase any record of that.” Looking back to the two women, Tony waited for confirmation.

“Speaking of Happy.” Pepper cleared her throat and stood up from the table. “I’ve only got about three thousand things to do today thanks to the little mishap on the highway last night. Tony’s idea of clean up and actual clean up are two very different things. So, if you don’t mind I’ll be meeting up with the two of you later. I assume you can handle the rest of breakfast on your own, right Tony?” Before he could answer and object, as he was clearly planning to do, Pepper left the room with her piece of the newspaper folded underneath her arm.

“No, I can’t. I need you to shovel my eggs into my mouth and butter my toast…” Tony called after her and then sighed. “I cannot get decent help around here.” Whining and smacking his lips together, he turned to look at Scarlett who was still poking around at her food. “I should’ve let you come with me last night.”

“Oh really?” Scarlett wasn’t surprised that he was finally admitting it but it was nice to have him talking to her without avoiding looking at her again. Though, she could’ve done without all the staring and undressing her with his eyes that he did. She guessed it was just something that she had to get used to when working with him. “What brought you to that conclusion?”

“You were a lot of help. If you hadn’t been there for me last night I would’ve been in big trouble.” Tony took another sip of his coffee, watching Scarlett poke around at her food. Finally she put down her fork.

“Yeah, I know. It’s nice to see that you finally figured it out though.”

“I blew up at you for no reason.”

“Are you going to continue stating things we already know, Stark because… that’s wasting a lot of time and breath. I know you like to hear yourself talk and all but…” Scarlett waved her hand in front of her. It was nice to feel that the scrape on her arm wasn’t kicking her ass anymore. Things were starting to heal and she hoped that meant her mental state would soon recover too. It was wishful thinking, but a girl could dream.

“I’m really grateful for your help, and I’m trying to express that if you would stop mocking me for thirty seconds.”

“I get it, Stark.” She shook her head. “You don’t need to thank me and you don’t need to apologize. We’re done with that. I helped you, you’re grateful. As far as I’m concerned, we’re even. Though, you are still a complete and total asshole and I will not be giving you any help after this. Just make note of that, okay?” Tony wasn’t sure if Scarlett was being serious but he was acting under the assumption that she wasn’t.

“But what if I get into trouble and I’m going to die without your help?” Tony pouted, leaning his chin on his hand and propping himself up.

“Well, that would surely be a problem for you but I’ve washed my hands of it.” Scarlett didn’t react and instead took a small bite out of her toast. 

“You would miss me, I think.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Stark.” Scarlett continued to be more distracted by the food she wasn’t eating than by Tony who was still staring at her. He’d eaten as much as he’d planned on eating for the time being. The waiter returned to the room and refilled their cups of coffee and removed Tony’s plate from in front of him once he’d signaled that he was finished with it.

“You know,” Tony began, “after what happened last night in the restaurant I couldn’t picture you getting hurt.” He had averted his eyes again, feigning interest in the financial section of the newspaper he’d discarded earlier. Scarlett continued to poke at her food, though what he’d said had actually gotten her attention pretty wholeheartedly. “We’d had a lot to drink and my head was spinning. You hadn’t eaten in days and I didn’t think you would handle it as well as I could. If you had gotten hurt because I’d gotten you a little tipsy I wouldn’t have forgiven myself.” Exhaling deeply, Tony gave up on the newspaper, growing bored with looking over the same articles over and over again. “I acted on impulse, on fear. That’s why I told Jarvis to keep you safe. I knew he would take care of you.”

Tony was nervous that she hadn’t responded after a moment had passed. The sound of her fork poking at the plate was starting to drive him a little crazy. He was almost to the point where he wanted to grab it from her hand and throw it across the room because it was annoying him.

“You need to stop liking me so much, Stark.” Scarlett took the paper he’d discarded and browsed over it, just to give her hands something else to do other than poke at her food that she no longer wanted to pretend to eat. “It’s dangerous for the both of us.” Looking back at Tony she held the paper closer to her. “You know, while you were drinking last night you offered me a pretty tempting job offer.”

“I did and it’s still on the table. That’s if you’ve had any time to think about it.” Tony was surprised she’d brought it up, but intrigued. He had thought that after the close encounters they’d had together things would be awkward, but they’d only become that much more fun.

“Oh, I had plenty of time to think about it while I was sitting locked away in my tower.” Scarlett straightened her lips, not having to say much more to get her point across. Tony winced but didn’t make a quirky retort. He figured that anything he argued against that would only get him in more trouble. “And given that I had _so_ much time to think about it, I’ve decided to take the job.” Tony’s eyebrows shot up to the top of his forehead. He hadn’t expected her to _ever_ take the job, nonetheless so quickly. He had become convinced that she hadn’t wanted anything to do with him in a work environment and he couldn’t honestly blame her for it. 

“What was it you said last night that was dangerous about this proposition? You didn’t find me boring? You’re still going to take the job?” Skeptical, Tony moistened his lips with his tongue.

“I can change my mind if you’d like.” Scarlett placed the paper in front of his spot on the table once she was finished with it.

“No, don’t do that.” Tony shook his head and then held his hand out for her to shake. “Welcome to Stark Industries Miss Damien. I’ll have my assistant, Miss Potts, draw up the contracts for the deal we discussed.”

“Thank you Mr. Stark.” Scarlett took Tony’s hand and gave it a firm shake. The doubt and fear she’d experienced that morning had started to fade. Somehow at that moment, she knew she was doing the right thing. Getting the information she needed would be much easier from inside the corporate structure of his company.


	15. Supply and Demand

“The converter for the arc reactor has been in fabrication limbo since you went over the plans with me yesterday, but I didn’t want to actually get started with it until I struck an official deal with you. Pepper said something about some sort of huge _legal_ trouble I could get into if I used it without your permission. You wouldn’t sue me would you? Don’t answer that. I didn’t listen to her entirely but I got the vibe that using your idea without you on board was probably more trouble than it was worth. In short, she bored me enough to get me to agree just so she’d shut up.” Tony led Scarlett back into his lab, snapped his fingers and watched the computers in the room come to life at his bidding. “Wake up, time to work. Lazy…” The mess that had been made with the broken Mark VII the day before had been cleaned up and the lab was back in the immaculate condition that Scarlett had initially woken up to find it in.

“You have a _very_ clever assistant.” Scarlett walked past Tony and looked around the room curiously. No matter how much time she’d spent in the lab that doubled as a garage, she couldn’t get over how technologically advanced everything was. Every time she thought she’d seen it all, she found something new and interesting to look at. She wouldn’t let Tony know how impressed she was with his technology. The last thing she wanted to do was boost his ego, she was sure he did that enough for himself every day.

Her eyes lingered on the collection of valuable cars. She could see the dent in his hot rod very clearly and couldn’t help but smile despite how frustrated she’d been in the heat of the moment. He hadn’t left her a bill for it yet, but if she found out that he wasn’t behind what MedCo had done she’d buy him a whole new car to apologize for the grief she’d put him through in the long run.

Pausing in front of the car she considered when she’d started actually thinking that perhaps Tony _wasn’t_ behind what had happened to her and Scott in Africa. Once again, upon further thinking, she rejected the notion entirely. It wasn’t possible. It _couldn’t_ be possible. She couldn’t act under that assumption he was innocent simply because he was likable and they had some sexual tension brewing between them. Having spent a good chunk of her career hating him, it would’ve been devastating to her psyche to find out he wasn’t as malevolent as she had initially speculated.

“So, _partner,_ where do you propose we start if the fabrication of the converter isn’t completed yet?” Scarlett turned to face Tony and approached where he stood near his desk cautiously.

“Oh, so I’m _partner_ now am I?” Tony walked around the desk to stand close to her, his arms folded across his chest. “I’m not sure that’s much better than calling Stark, but I’ll take it until it starts sounding like an old western in here. You could just call me Tony. I mean, I heard you say it yesterday so I know you know how to say it. I think you’re just being stubborn.” Stepping around her he walked in front of the glass display cases that housed the older model Marks. Pressing several buttons against the wall near the marks, holographic screens flickering with information appeared in front of him. “As for proposing, it’s too soon for that but I was thinking… that we had a few options.” He cleared his throat and darted his eyes toward her without actually turning to look at her.

Scarlett walked behind Tony and stood on her tip toes so she could peer over his shoulder at the screens that he’d made appear in front of him. The holograms were like a shiny new toy for her to play with. While she wouldn’t admit it, he could likely lure her into any room in the house as long as he promised that she would get to play with Jarvis. Intellectual computer systems were nonexistent in other areas of the world at least not to the same extent. In fact, the last few places she’d worked were still functioning on dial up if they even had internet access at all. The things that Scarlett could do with a set up like Tony’s made her head spin. If it had been under any other circumstances she would have been giddy with excitement.

“What have you been using to test this with, Stark?” Scarlett ignored his comment and instead decided to come up with her own approach to how they would tackle the creation of the arc reactor converter.

“Oh no, I’m back to Stark now. Why was I demoted? Or was I promoted? I don’t know anymore. I can’t keep up with these nicknames you’re giving me. Why can’t you just call me Tony like everyone else?” Without turning to look at her he flipped the screens around and scrolled through the information in front of him. “I’ve been using an amplifier up to this point, to answer your question.”

“I meant as in a power source. Obviously you want to turn the arc reactor technology into a viable clean energy source but what have you been using to test it? You blew the original one up however many years ago now… and well, the only one I see lying around here is in your chest.” Tired of standing on her tip toes, Scarlett walked to stand at Tony’s side still watching the screens, entertained. She wasn’t trying to decipher the information on them, just staring in wonderment but refusing to admit it. After another moment of silence, Tony turned his head to the side to look at her.

“I don’t like when you ignore me.” Tony sucked his lips into his mouth for a moment then narrowed his eyes at her.

“Hmm?” Scarlett pretended to look disinterested in him, but smiled after a moment. The awkwardness they’d experienced the day before had finally dissipated entirely. Perhaps the stress she’d been experiencing after what had happened in Africa was finally lessening. Either that or she was becoming comfortable around Tony. The latter worried her but she shook it from her mind. At the moment, all she could do was keep earning his trust until she found the opportunity to get the information she needed. It occurred to her that she would likely be unable to both shut off Jarvis and look at his files so she pondered that while Tony stayed silent. Scarlett would need supplies to complete her mission. Perhaps she could use Tony for that too.

“Very funny.” Tony flicked several of the screens aside before dragging one in particular close to him. “I _have_ been using the reactor in my chest to power previous attempts at creating the amplifier so I haven’t been using an external power source.”

“Why not just create a second arc reactor?” Scarlett reached to touch the holographic window in front of her to make it wider so she could decipher the information on it, but much to her surprise Tony smacked her hand away.

“Jarvis, bring up the videos from the element creation.” Tony turned his back on the screen but pointed toward it vaguely. “Keep your eye on the screen, Scarlett. This is why I haven’t attempted another go at this.”

Simply to spite Tony, Scarlett pulled on the edges of the hologram and extended the screen, pleased that Jarvis obeyed her command. The video popped up on the screen as commanded displaying the first day that Tony had attempted to fabricate the element that his father had discovered many years prior but had been unable to create thanks to the limited technology he possessed. Tony walked back to his desk and sat in his rolling chair. One of the smaller robots came over with a glass of some sort of protein shake that had been mixed together.

“Did I ask for that, Dum-e? Really you’re a robot and you’re going to get into a routine?” The robot made a sad sound and started to retreat with the glass that contained the shake. “I didn’t say take it away.” Perking up, the robot brought the glass back to Tony who took it and took a long drink out of it, his gaze never falling from where Scarlett watched the video of the destruction that had occurred when he’d created the element in his lab. The creation of the element had been a worldwide phenomenon so he was sure she was familiar with. What he hadn’t shared with the public was how the element had saved his life from the palladium that was poisoning his blood.

Once the video had finished playing, the lights that dimmed in the lab turned back on and the screen in front of Scarlett disappeared entirely. Turning around to face Tony who had kicked his feet onto the desk, she contemplated why he’d shown it to her in the first place. Part of her was sure he was just showing off.

“Well, obviously you don’t want to trash this place again to recreate the element.” The more she thought about it, Scarlett was sure that he was just bragging by showing her what he’d done in a time crunch.

“Before I had the element to power my reactor I was using palladium cores to fuel the magnet in my chest.” Tony knocked on the reactor in his chest and took another drink of the protein shake.

“Jesus,” Scarlett curled her lip in disgust, “didn’t that do any damage?” She knew exactly how dangerous that could be.

“Yeah, it was killing me.” Tony kicked his feet off of the desk and stood up, walking around his desk and leaning against the back of it. “I was taking steps to counteract the symptoms but ultimately I couldn’t keep up with the blood toxicity. That’s when I fabricated the element and lucky for me, it was an adequate substitute for palladium. That being said, I haven’t found the time to recreate another one.” Tony didn’t take his gaze away from Scarlett while he took a sip of his protein shake. Was he expecting her to react to his confession of a near death experience or was he testing her to see how attached she’d become? Either way, Scarlett wasn’t going to change the topic.

“After the damage it did to your lab, I’m sure you’ve been avoiding it. But I’ve got to confess I’m not comfortable using _you_ as a battery for our tests.” Before Tony could speak she held up her hand to stop him and continued on. “We need to have a stable power source for our tests. If you short out because of some error in a calculation of fabrication then I’m not going to have any idea how to repair you. I’m good with this stuff but this is your father’s life’s work, Stark. I can’t learn that in five minutes.”

“You figured out my Mark VII in five minutes, why shouldn’t you be able to handle this?” Tony shrugged simply. If he was testing her, he was doing an excellent job keeping a straight face. When Scarlett looked at him skeptically he glanced down at his thick shake. “Oh, I’m being rude. Want some?” He held the glass out toward her in case she wanted a sip of his shake.

“No thank you, I make it general practice to avoid drinking anything that’s a putrid green color and smells like lawn clippings.” Scarlett placed her fingers on the top of his glass and pushed it out of her line of sight.

“Your loss.” Tony took a sip out of the glass after pulling it away from Scarlett who was looking at her fingers in disgust since she’d gotten some of the liquid on them. “You know, I was going to argue over building another reactor but I can see just how concerned you are about my demise so I think the first step is to recreate the element.”

“It has nothing to do with _concern_ , Stark.” Scarlett peered over the desk in search of a napkin to wipe her hands on. “It’s a liability and if you like, we can have Pepper come in here and explain what that means.”

“You don’t have to hide your true feelings for me, Scarlett. You can confess how much you care. As terribly Shakespeare as it would be for you to mourn over my untimely death if my reactor shorted out, I think I’d prefer for this one to stay where it is.” Tony grabbed her wrist and looked at her fingers to figure out what she was trying to wipe off of them.

“Well, I would hate for this to turn into some sort of tragedy so what do you propose we do? There has to be a better way to recreate the element other than to tearing up the lab you’ve clearly repaired.” Scarlett tried to wiggle her wrist to remove it from his grasp.

“There is a much better way and I’ve already thought of it.” Tony brought her fingers to his lips in an attempt to lick away the shake that had tainted her skin.

“Cut it out,” Scarlett laughed at him and pulled her hand away. Tony grabbed her wrist again and pouted.

“I’m helping!”

“You are _not_ helping.”

“You’re clearly bothered by the mess that my shake made and I’m already drinking it so…”

“You are _not_ going to lick my fingers!” Scarlett couldn’t hide her amusement and managed to get her hand away from his, only for him to grab her other hand and pull her close before she could pull away entirely.

“I don’t see what the problem is! I’ve licked a lot worse things before in my life, this is incredibly benign in comparison.”

Instead of responding, Scarlett flipped around to face him and then wiped her fingers on his shirt. Tony pursed his lips and stared at her for a moment before looking down at the mess that was now on his shirt.

“There, problem solved.” Scarlett walked away, wiping her hands together. “So what were you saying before you interrupted me?”

“I interrupted _you?_ You interrupted me when I was trying to help you. And no, the problem is not solved because now my shirt is a mess.” Tony started to pull at the bottom of his shirt to take it off so he could get changed.

“Are you going to strip everyday we’re down here? Because I don’t have any singles on me and honestly I’m not getting enough out of this to give you a twenty.” Tony stopped tugging on his shirt and stared at her in surprise.

“I can make it worth a twenty, hell I can make it worth a fifty.” Grinning from ear to ear he couldn’t help but chuckle. Maybe partnership wasn’t going to be as terribly taxing as he had expected it to be. Though, he was sure if Pepper had been with them she would’ve been appalled by their unprofessional conversation and warning him every thirty seconds about potential sexual harassment law suits.

“We’re never going to get anything done, are we?” Scarlett exhaled deeply after laughing at his last remark.

“I think we’re making excellent progress. You don’t?” Tony had obviously decided to keep his shirt on and instead started shutting down computer screens. “There’s a lab at Stark Industries I’ve been having set up for this particular moment. It’s a safe zone to create the element in and the power there is on its own grid so I won’t piss off the power company this time.”

“So, road trip then?” Scarlett was surprised that Tony had managed to bring the conversation back around to their plans for the day. Perhaps their partnership could work out after all. Then she reconsidered. Why did she have to keep reminding herself that this was only temporary? Working with him was a means to an end, not a lucrative career decision. Then again, there was no harm in her actually enjoying the work she was doing with him in the process, right?

“Yeah, though I’d recommend shoes.” Tony peered down at her feet, but making a point to look at the rest of her on the way down. Scarlett rolled her eyes and slumped her shoulders. “And as terrible as I feel for making this request… probably pants too.”

“Yeah, yeah… I’ll go get changed. I got the point during the whole lingering stare thing you did on the way down.” Scarlett turned toward the door but stopped halfway there. “Is there any way that we can stop somewhere so I can get some parts to build my own laptop on the way back? And there are a few other amenities I’d like to pick up.”

“Why can’t you just use my computers?” Tony followed behind her to the door. “I’ve got to change too, thanks to someone who seemed to object to my tongue for whatever reason.”

“Keep your tongue in your mouth, Stark.”

“That’s the most _boring_ place it could be.” Tony whispered in his best seductive voice and opened the door after walking around her. “I guess we can stop to get those things on the way back but I still don’t get why you need them when my things are so much better and I’m allowing you to use them.”

“I’m a private person, Stark. The last thing I want is for you to see what I do on the computer in my alone time and reading my personal emails when you’re bored.” Scarlett walked behind Tony up the stairs and into the living room.

“First of all, what makes you think you’ll have _any_ alone time? Secondly, I assure you there is no porn on the planet strange enough that could possibly turn me off.” Tony turned to face her while he walked up the second set of stairs to make his way to his bedroom.

“I would hate to find you searching through my internet history and emails in search of some love letters pining for you, Stark. You’d be so disappointed and I’m already so mean to you without that. I’m trying to spare your feelings, really.” Scarlett walked past him and to the door of the guest room. Tony leaned against the wall near her door and smirked.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you ran one of those websites dedicated to what a huge slime ball I am. You know, a hate forum or whatever the kids are calling it these days.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have that kind of time. Besides, all of the nasty things I have to say to you I can just say to your face right now. A website dedicated to it would seem redundant at this point.” Scarlett opened the door to her room but stopped as Tony spoke again.

“I do appreciate that you’re so brutally honest.” The guilt churned in Scarlett’s stomach. It wasn’t that she’d been outright lying, but there had definitely been nothing very honest about what she’d been doing. Then again, she couldn’t think of when she’d hidden anything from him deliberately other than the things she’d made him aware he was missing out on. The fact that she was even considering her honesty was dangerous. “I wish you’d at least sugarcoat it a little bit, though. Call me an ass, go for it, but then follow it up with how pretty my eyes are or something.” Tony theorized a way to make it easier on his ego.

“Your whole life has been sugarcoated, Stark.” She leaned against the frame of the door and shook her head. “Something tells me that you’re not crying yourself to sleep at night because I don’t think you’re a shining example of humanity at its best.”

“Never slept better, actually.” Tony tapped his fingers against the wall near where she stood. “So I’d offer to help you get changed but I’m pretty sure I know the answer to that and I don’t want my nose broken.”

“Oh, you’re learning.”

“Are you proud of me?”

“Not at all.”

“I’ll meet you back downstairs in ten.” Tony turned away, waving his hand at her in amusement. Scarlett walked into her room to get changed as she’d been instructed to. Tony returned to his own room and changed into a clean shirt, ordering Jarvis to get them a driver with one of the Stark Industries SUVs to escort them to the building where they’d rebuild the element in his chest for another arc reactor so they could start testing the converter once it’d completed the fabrication process.

Ten minutes later the two were meeting downstairs and walking out the front door of the Stark mansion. The sun was shining as brightly as it usually did in California and the air was warm and dry.

“I miss your legs already.” Tony sighed, glancing down at the jeans Scarlett had put on.

“They’re still in there.” Scarlett walked past him and down the path to the curb, pulling her hair back and out of her face into a messy ponytail. Tony joined her on the curb when a black SUV pulled up in front of the luxurious home. The driver came around and opened the door for the two of them.

“You know, you could just leave your hair down.” Tony suggested, peering over at her.

“It gets in the way while I’m working, trust me.”

“It looks sexy in the way though.”

“Thanks, but you’re having enough trouble picturing us working together without me looking like I’ve just crawled out of bed.” Scarlett got into the black SUV, taking the hand of the driver to assist her in. Her leg was in a lot more pain than it had been the day before. Was it possible that the shock of her experience was still wearing off? The sore spot on her side and her arm had started to heal but her leg seemed only to get worse.

Scarlett could only hope that it was because of how she’d tossed and turned in bed the night before that her leg was so uncomfortable. Tony stared at Scarlett in the car for a moment, making no attempts to get in.

“What?”

“I was just enjoying the mental image you shared with me there.”

“You were already enjoying that before I said anything, get in the car.”

“Hey, it’s different when _you_ say it.”

“How is it any different?” Scarlett laughed her mouth hanging open in disbelief.

“It gives what was once mere conjecture, validity.” Tony shooed the driver away so he would get back into the front of the car and leaned against the opened door of the sport utility vehicle with a smirk on his face.

“You are such an ass sometimes. Get in the car already.” Scarlett pointed to the seat next to her.

“If you insist.” Tony climbed into the car and closed the door behind him before taking his seat next to Scarlett. “Turn on the air conditioner will you? It’s stifling in here. Make it a cool 68? Thanks.” Tony glanced over at Scarlett and was about to add onto the comment he’d made but she stopped him.

“I swear, Stark, if you make some sort of pick up line out of how hot it is in here…”

“You’re no fun.”

“Actually I’m _way_ more fun than you can handle.” Scarlett laughed and looked out the window as the car drove down the extensive driveway, toward the main road.

“Is that a dare? Because I’m pretty sure I can handle you _just_ fine.” Tony flipped his phone out of his pocket and started to fiddle with the screen again. “Pepper keeps texting me…” He sighed heavily and spoke as he texted what he planned to say. “I don’t text unless it’s for sex, you know that.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. Sometimes she wondered if what he did was for show, but sure enough when she peered over at the screen to spy on his text messages, that was what he had actually typed.

“And _now_ who’s nosy?” Tony hid the screen of his phone from her defensively.

“I just couldn’t tell if you were being serious or not. Weren’t you the one who was talking about validity a second ago?” Scarlett didn’t bother to hide what she’d been doing. “Besides, I’m kind of curious about your phone.”

“I bet you are.” Tony grinned and held it out for her to take. Scarlett looked surprised and didn’t make a move to grab it. “Go ahead, play with it. The vibrate button is over there by the way…”

Scarlett glared at him but took the phone from his hand and flipped the screen sideways. Tony started to rattle of statistics of the highly advanced phone that he’d built on his own for his personal use. Flipping through the interface Scarlett was impressed with how much he’d managed to fit into such a small device. Apparently, technology was limitless to Tony Stark. As much as she wanted to believe that he wasn’t as incredible as the hype surrounding him had led the world to believe, she was discovering that the hype hadn’t even scratched the surface of what he’d become capable of over the years.

“This is remarkable.” Scarlett muttered, before handing the phone back to Tony but instead nearly dropped it when the machine vibrated to let him know that he’d gotten another text message from Pepper.

“It is, isn’t it?” Tony couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear, since he could see that Scarlett was flustered by the fact that the phone had gone off in her hands. “Pretty powerful, right?” Laughing he pulled the phone back from her and flipped open the text message. “It’s more of a multi tool than anything else.”

“I swear if that phone has been anywhere gross and you just let me touch it, you’re going to be in serious trouble.”

“What would you do? Spank me?” Tony tapped at the screen and ignored Pepper’s text message in favor of giving commands to Jarvis.

“Trust me, it wouldn’t be something you’d enjoy so much.” Scarlett wiped her hands, a disgusted look on her face.

“It hasn’t been anywhere sexual, calm yourself down. The worst place it’s been is in my pocket.” Tony flipped through screens on his phone, not looking back up at her but still wearing that permanently amused smile on his face.

“Good.” Scarlett wasn’t sure she trusted him on the matter but was also partially amused that he’d put those quirky designs into his phone. The good things he did with technology could almost be trumped by all the pointless things he’d done with it. Silence fell between them so Scarlett took to observing the pretty standard looking SUV. It was a nice one, but nowhere near as nice as the car they’d taken out the night before. Tony seemed blissfully distracted by his phone and making arrangements for the rest of the day.

“So what’s with the men in black routine here? No Lamborghini today?” Scarlett scratched nonchalantly at the wound on her leg through the denim of her jeans but stopped herself once she realized she was doing it. The denim was making the wound itchy.

“I suppose we could’ve taken a nicer car but I was trying to avoid drawing attention to us.”

“What? You’re _avoiding_ attention? Are you feeling ill?” Scarlett thought that perhaps he didn’t want there to be pictures circulating of his disheveled appearance accompanied by the bruises and sores visible on his face. The rest of his wounds were decently covered by his t-shirt but tabloid gossip would circulate no matter what.

Tony glanced over at her for a moment and his expression softened before he turned back to play on his phone.

“No, I’m avoiding drawing attention to _you_.” Tony looked out the opposite window as he spoke. “I don’t know what I’m up against when it comes to these people you were in bed with and I think it’s best if you lay low for a bit after what happened last night.”

The guilt churned in Scarlett’s stomach again so she neglected to respond to his comment. If she didn’t know about Tony’s past and his sordid history and could only base him on the man she’d met since she’d woken up the day before, she would’ve guessed he was a halfway decent human being.

All he’d asked her for was a few answers about what she’d been through and what had happened to her in Africa and she had done nothing but cause trouble and answer with disdain. Tony hadn’t owed her anything but had gone out of his way to keep her safe and meet her halfway.

Her mind drifted to the nightmare she’d had. Closing her eyes, Scarlett leaned against the framing of the car window and tried to clear her mind but it was no use. Scott’s green eyes were staring at her and judging her. He blamed her for his death. She tried to reason with herself that no one was blaming her for anything, particularly not a dead man.

What was it that Sergei had told her in her dream? She couldn’t save everyone. The reality of it was that Scarlett hadn’t saved _anyone_. In her attempt to escape Scott had died and the worst thing he’d ever done had been to care for her. The guilt made her sick to her stomach and the movement of the car on the California streets wasn’t helping the situation. How could she have ever suspected that Scott had something to do with what had been done to her?

Scott deserved better than what had happened to him and Scarlett felt her resolve renewed with that thought. But then again there was the matter of Tony Stark and the attachment she’d been avoiding making to him. He’d been kind to her after a traumatic experience. That had to be the extent of it and she would have to try harder to keep it that way.

Tony interrupted her thoughts by grabbing her wrist. Scarlett instantly recoiled out of instinct but found that he was grabbing it tighter than she expected. Glancing down at where her hand had been she realized she’d been scratching at the bandages hidden beneath her jeans. All Tony was doing was stopping her from doing more damage to her leg. She hadn’t even realized that she’d been doing it. The stress must have gotten to her more than she’d thought it had. The hope that the post traumatic stress had passed dimmed.

Once her hand had relaxed, Scarlett caught her breath. When had she started to breathe heavily? Cursing mentally she shook her head and avoided looking at Tony. He let go of her wrist and patted her knee reassuringly. After a moment of sitting quietly in the car he broke the silence.

“You don’t have to tell me anything yet, Scarlett.” He was looking back at his phone again but she could see that he was just scrolling through the home screen and not doing anything of any importance. It was simply something to keep him from having to look at her. Maybe he was as nervous to look her in the eye at that moment as she was to look at him, or maybe he was avoiding dealing with whatever post traumatic stress she was experiencing.

“Why?” Cursing again mentally, Scarlett had no idea whys he’d even bothered to question him. She should’ve taken the break she’d been given and ran with it. It was just what she needed to buy herself more time. The guilt was taking over. She was no longer in control of everything she was doing. Her emotions had never stood in her way prior to waking up in the Stark mansion and now here she was, acting on impulse and emotion at every turn.

“I get it, that’s all.” Tony finally pocketed his phone and looked over at her. He had the usual look of bemusement on his face but there was an underlying seriousness to his tone that Scarlett had only seen emerge in his anger the day before.

Scarlett averted her eyes and furrowed her brow. Was she playing into what he was saying or was she being legitimately sincere? Sometimes it was easy to forget what Tony had gone through in the desert and how the arc reactor had made its way into his chest in the first place.

“I still don’t talk about what happened in Afghanistan.” Tony gave her knee a squeeze. Being compassionate and empathetic was out of his comfort zone but if anyone understood what it was like to feel completely overwhelmed after a situation like the one that Scarlett had gone through, it was him. It was like becoming a different person; being reborn so to speak. But there would always be a part of him stuck in that cave, wondering what he could’ve done differently to save the man who had saved his life. “It takes time. Focus on work.”

Scarlett nodded her head and placed a hand over his on her knee. After a moment she pried his hand away and set it down on the seat between them, patting it afterward. Tony scoffed and shook his head.

“You’ll be just fine.”


	16. Redemption

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody, I hope there are still people reading! I'm going to get back into posting this every weekend and I'm taking suggestions for scenes to sketch from the story :3 Let me know if you have any! Much love.

The discreet black SUV pulled up to the barred security gate of the Stark Industries compound. After providing clearance and some playful banter between Tony and the man who was working the gate that day, the car continued through the gate. Scarlett mostly tuned out the conversation in the car while she took in as much of her surroundings as she could see through the tinted window. Other than the security gate they’d passed through, there were no other visible exits. But for all she knew there were other methods of entry on the far side of the compound that she couldn’t see. Surrounding the compound entirely was a wired security fence with the occasional sign hung up warning intruders of the threat of electrical shock if they attempted to break in.

Within the boundaries of the fence lay multiple buildings, some of them with multiple levels and some single level, each labeled with numbers and letters but with nothing more specific than that. Scarlett found this to be rather clever of the multi-billion dollar company. Competition would have to be either foolhardy or desperate to come after Tony Stark and his ideas. If anyone broke in, she was sure that they would be sorely surprised to meet Stark security tech. Not to mention, being in the middle of the desert, it wasn’t exactly the easiest location to sneak up on when no cover was provided by the terrain. Somehow she had a feeling that the real secrets to Stark Industries success were trapped within Tony himself regardless of the high security at his company. There were some things that couldn’t be trusted to a computer and she was sure Tony knew that already. 

Shaking the thoughts of espionage from her mind, she couldn’t help but smile. Old habits really _did_ die hard. If nothing else, the information she’d collected would come in handy if something happened to go horribly wrong while she was working with Tony. Honestly, she was expecting more trouble than they were likely to get. But, the thought of danger and excitement was far better than the thoughts of imprisonment and the pain in her leg.

“I did some of my first flight tests around these buildings.” Tony was pointing left and right, giving a tour of his facility, though Scarlett hadn’t been listening to the first half of his explanations. “I figured that if I was going to destroy anything I should destroy my own stuff, right?” That confirmed to Scarlett that there wasn’t anything valuable enough in the buildings that Tony was willing to risk.

“I’m sure the people who work for you appreciated you putting their lives at risk for the sake of the people of Malibu.” Scoffing, Scarlett still didn’t pay much mind to Tony’s ramblings about the Mark tests he’d performed. She was far too interested in her new surroundings. It had become a bad habit, of sorts. When she’d been working for less than savory employers she had to know all her available exits and all her options before she got in over her head. There had been more than one occasion where she’d had to make a hasty exit.

“Don’t be silly, I ran my tests in the middle of the night after my initial launch over the city. I didn’t magically get that good at what I do. I didn’t _suddenly_ excel at flight, though I could see why you would assume I was just that good. Adjusting to those sorts of speeds and still managing to maneuver nimbly took ages to get down. I destroyed more than one wall in the process, believe me.” Tony smirked then smacked the back of the driver’s seat. “Hey, pull over here. We can walk from there.” The driver stopped at Tony’s command next to one of the larger buildings near the back of the compound. Before the driver could get out and open the door for them, Tony had already jumped out of the car. Scarlett waited for the driver to open the driver’s side door for her and took the generous hand he offered to help her out of the SUV. After taking a tumble from her bed that morning, she wasn’t willing to risk it happening a second time.

“Thank you,” whispering her gratitude, she wiped her hands together then waited for Tony to join her on the driver’s side of the vehicle. When he never came around to meet her, she grew impatient and walked around the other side of the car and found him crouched on the concrete, expensive sunglasses pushed to the top of his head. Curiously she leaned over his shoulder and watched as he scribbled down notes in his phone. There were numbers and letters on the concrete, obviously having been written in when it had been poured. Tony stood up after he’d transcribed them all, dusted off his leather jacket then jumped back, surprised to see Scarlett standing so closely.

“Couldn’t you make a _little_ noise when you walk? Scared the hell out of me… I guess that’s what I get for hanging around with Bond.” Flipping his sunglasses back over his eyes he nodded toward the building on the other side of the truck that was starting to pull away. “This way.”

“What was that you were looking at?”

“Hmm?” Tony feigned ignorance, walking behind the truck and toward the entrance of the building. Scarlett crouched down to read the inscription in the concrete, brushing her fingers over it and attempting to memorize the coding. It seemed random to her, but she was sure it held some sort of significance to Tony, if no one else.

Getting up she wobbled on her unsteady leg, caught her balance then hurried to catch up with Tony. It was hard to remember that her leg wasn’t as strong as it had once been so she found herself limping while she walked. Later she’d have to remember to ask Tony if he had a prognosis on when her leg would fully heal, if he had one at all. It wasn’t like he was an _actual_ doctor, he’d just pretended to be. Scarlett considered that maybe she’d need to visit a _real_ doctor before she’d get real results. Catching up with Tony she slowed her walk as they got to the front door. There was a security pad on the wall and no noticeable door handle on the door in front of them.

“Tony Stark CEO.” Tony didn’t look up from his phone as he spoke, the same disinterest in his voice that he’d had when she’d overheard him doing any business of any sort. The door snapped open after running the voice recognition encryption.

“The code you were looking at in the concrete, what was that?”

“Ah, you noticed that, huh? I can’t get anything past you.” Tony smirked and slipped his glasses off before tucking them in his pocket. Down the pristine white hallway they walked until they reached a stairwell at the end of it. Holding open the door, he waited for her to pass through before starting down the stairs a bemused smiled on his face. “Though, for whatever reason flirting seems to go right over your head sometimes. It’s like you’re _ignoring_ me on purpose. You wouldn’t do that would you?”

“It’s not like you were trying very hard to hide what you were doing.” Scarlett leaned heavily against the railing and took the steps slowly while she spoke to Tony, purposely ignoring his comment about flirting to get her point across. Despite her insistence that it annoyed her, she really was more than entertained by his banter.

“You’re right, I didn’t. Sorry to disappoint you but it’s not as important as you think it is. It’s just coded information about which building I’m in, locations of the power grid underground, capacity of said power grid and security level clearance. It’s incredibly boring, so I figured I’d spare you the details.” Tony watched her out of the corner of his eye, but did his best not to be noticed. The last thing he needed was for her to go tumbling down the stairs. Her struggle with her leg surprised him considering how well she’d handled it walking around his home in Malibu. Perhaps he’d asked too much of her the night before. “If you really care that much I can explain the code to you after we get settled, but it’s really boring and will waste valuable time.”

“Time that would be better spent with you running your mouth right?” Scoffing, Scarlett was well aware she was being watched but made no effort to scold Tony. If she fell, she would be grateful to be caught. “I’m surprised that you’re willing to share things with me at all about your company. Considering the way I talked about it yesterday…” Scarlett moved faster down the steps then pushed the door at the bottom of the flight of stairs open.

“One more.” Tony nodded toward the staircase that continued downward. Scarlett pulled away from the door and joined him on his trek down the stairs. “It’s not for security purposes. It’s for convenience when I come to do some work, so there’s no harm in sharing it. The people who spend every day here know this information by heart but when I need a lab? I have to harass twelve people to get the answers I’m looking for. So instead I created a proper labeling system when the place was remodeled. And that’s right, you hate my company, don’t you? Yet you’re working for me.”

“”Clever.” Scarlett reached the bottom of the stairwell and waited for Tony to join her. “And working with you. We’re partners remember?”

“Do you want me to show you what it means, partner?”

“No, now that I know what it is, I don’t care very much. You’re right, it was boring.” Scarlett pushed open the door once Tony had confirmed that they were on the right floor. “Why are we so far underground? _That_ I’m curious about.”

“I told you it was boring. The labs down here are specifically designed to withstand a great amount of damage. If a nuclear blast went off overhead right now we wouldn’t feel a damn thing.” With a smirk, Tony led his way through the short hallway and to a door near the middle on the left side.

Scarlett rolled her eyes sure that Tony was exaggerating so he could brag until he opened the door to the lab and flipped on the lights. The room was reinforced in ways she’d never seen before. Once again, her breath was taken away by Stark technology. Once the splendor of the reinforced lab had worn off, Scarlett was made very aware that the place was in disarray.

“Did someone break in?”

“No, but the delivery guys sure were sloppy weren’t they?” Tony walked past her, slipping off his leather jacket and resting it on a computer desk at the far end of the room.

“This doesn’t look _anything_ like the setup I saw in the video you showed me.” Scarlett walked around the room, searching for power link ups, the containment cell for the element, and the metallic tubes that Tony had used in the video to focus the elemental energy he’d harnessed to channel into an existing element that forced it to mold and change into the answer to the energy crisis.

“I said I had a place prepared for this, not that it _was_ prepared and ready to use.” Tony clarified, flipping on the computer, leaning one arm on the desk and the other on the back of the chair while he waited for the screens to load.

“So, today is prep work then?” Scarlett chuckled under her breath, walking to the far end of the room. Brushing her fingers along the wall she walked the length of the concrete and steel structure, in search of the power supply they’d need to access.

“Come here.” Tony nodded toward the computer once he’d gotten it properly configured. He pulled blueprints up onto the screen and pointed to the main power lines along the wall. “I’ve got a sledgehammer already so I’ll take care of that if you want to start opening the crates and taking inventory.”

“Inventory? I’m your partner, not a secretary. I’m going to help you build this thing.” Scarlett rolled her eyes again. “I’ll empty the crates.”

“You’ve been limping around since we got out of the car, but fine, if you want to hurt yourself then I’m not going to stop you. But if I end up having to carry you out of here you can’t sue me for groping you.” Tony pointed an accusing finger at her his smile disguising the worry in his eyes.

“I wouldn’t sue you for something like that, Stark.” Scarlett joined him to look at the blueprints he’d brought up. It would take more than a day’s work to get the place set up and running well enough for them to create the element efficiently. The setup he’d had in his lab in his mansion had been well and good for creating the element once, but they’d need to do multiple fabrications. Judging by the supplies Tony had ordered, she was guessing that he was hoping for a more permanent establishment as she had guessed.

“Oh, really? Do you realize just how dangerous it is to tell me that? Pepper keeps texting me things about sexual harassment lawsuits and you just knocked out the possibility entirely. Can I get that in writing for her? Then I can harass you all I want without being, well, harassed.” Tony smirked, turning his head back to look at her, but nowhere near her eyes.

“I don’t need the law to keep you off of me, trust me on that one Stark.” Patting her hand on his back she ignored his gaze, walked past him and picked up the crowbar on the floor. Examining the crates scattered about the room she considered her approach. “You know, I expected this place to be set up when we got here. Not that I’m complaining, but I was a little excited to see the creation of the element.”

“I’ve been procrastinating, so sue me.” Tony followed her to the crates and snatched the crowbar from her hand. He pried the top of the nearest crate open then handed it back to her. She was looking at him skeptically. “Oh come on, I need something from in there, there’s _nothing_ chauvinistic about it.”

“You just asked me not to sue you, make up your mind. And for the record, yes, that was completely chauvinistic. Are you concerned for me, Stark?” Scarlett spoke tauntingly a playful glint in her eyes.

“Well aren’t you the comedian right now?” Tony walked around the opposite side of the crate, waited for Scarlett to step out of the way then pushed it over, dumping the contents of it onto the ground. Sorting through the tools, he set a large tool box aside then grabbed the sledge hammer that had thudded to the ground when he’d tipped the box.

“When did you suddenly become all business?” Scarlett was surprised he’d stopped flirting with her for the time being. She was encouraging bad behavior, which she knew wouldn’t end well but had really started to enjoy his flirting.

“My father and his partner may have built this company from the ground up but there’s a damn good reason it’s still as successful as it is and it has very little to do with their legacy.” Tony lifted a pair of safety goggles, unfolded them then pulled Scarlett up by her arm when she started sorting through the tools he’d abandoned on the floor. He noticed her stumble due to her bad leg but pushed it to the back of his mind. Tucking a hair that had strayed out of her ponytail behind her ear he then slipped the glasses onto her face. “Safety first.” Staring at each other for a tense moment, Scarlett considered saying something sarcastic but her mind was blank against Tony’s brown eyes.

“Thanks.” Cursing mentally when she could think of nothing better to say, she turned away from his gaze and was about to continue sorting the tools before opening the next crate when Tony tugged her arm again.

“That’s it? Are you feeling alright?” He was eyeing her curiously, but she couldn’t tell if he was being a pig or if he was actually concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Are you going to ask about my health every time I don’t act surprised when you flirt with me or try to make a move? It’s going to take us twice as long as it would to get this done if that’s the case.” Laughing, Scarlett patted his arm. reassuringly “It’s okay, you’re still very good at what you do Stark and very charming but… I’m busy.”

“I don’t like that.” Tony pouted. As she turned away again, he tugged at the hair tie that held her hair back, pulling her long curly hair free of it.

“Weren’t you just telling me how professional you were?” Scarlett sighed heavily and placed her hands on her hips as she turned to him, still trying to hide her amusement.

“I _am_ professional. I’m pretty much a professional at _everything_ I do. But you should keep your hair down. It’s nicer that way. Didn’t I say that earlier? I think I did. Oh right, you were ignoring me.” Tony tilted his head to the side, considering what he’d done then nodding to confirm that he approved of the change.

“And I was starting to wonder if you were tiring of me, Stark.” Walking close to him she narrowed her blue eyes at him. It was a relief that she hadn’t gone blank when confronted with his curiously colored brown eyes again. Tilting her head to the side she smiled at him after a long moment spent staring the pulled her hair tie from his hand and turned away from him.

“Never! Don’t confuse what I do for disinterest, Scarlett. There’s too much going on up here, sometimes I get caught up.” Tony tapped the side of his head, admiring her as she walked away before turning away from her. Something hit him in the back of his head, stopping his walk. Turning to look at what had consequently fallen to the ground he picked up the pair of safety goggles that Scarlett had thrown his way.

“ _Safety first_.” She stuck her tongue out at him immaturely then slid the empty crate toward the doorway, deciding she would put them all in the hallway to be disposed of at a later time after they were emptied.

“What, are you twelve?” Tony set down the sledgehammer then slipped the goggles on his face. “Real mature.”

“To be fair, you set the bar pretty low.” Scarlett didn’t turn to back to look at him. “So why did you procrastinate so badly on getting this place in order? You were clearly motivated enough to order the supplies you needed to get it going but not enough to get it together? That doesn’t even make sense, Stark.” Hoping to get them back on track, Scarlett propped the door to the lab open and started on the next crate. She’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail again before opening picking up the crowbar and using the smaller crate which contained heavy duty wiring of various sizes and strengths.

“Things kept coming up that were either more important or more interesting. In case you don’t remember, I’m a super hero remember? That means I’m pretty busy most of the time.” Tony picked up the sledgehammer, reaffirmed his grip on it before smashing the end of it into the concrete. “Besides, before you came along none of my prototypes were properly working. I never had an occasion that needed more than what my chest reactor could provide.”

“So you pushed this project off because it had you stumped?”

“No, it didn’t have me _stumped_. Nothing _stumps_ me, Scarlett. What kind of talk is that?” During lapses of conversation Tony continued to swing the sledgehammer into the concrete until it finally started to give. The rest of the room was reinforced beyond what he’d broken through but it was the only place in the room where the concrete was so thin. It had been a necessary security risk provided to reach the power source he’d need for their set up. The wall had been specially designed to retain access to the power lines while providing security from outside forces.

“You were stumped. If I hadn’t been curious of your little toy then you would still be playing around with amplifiers.” Scarlett smirked, sorting the wire by type and strength before moving the crate out of the room with the first one. Despite the minimal amount of work she’d been doing her leg was starting to ache and itch uncomfortably. It was part of the healing process, particularly with the sort of chemical burn she’d received so she chose to ignore the discomfort and deal with it. She’d dealt with far worse in the years prior so she wasn’t incredibly concerned.

“I was sabotaging myself, if you must know.” Tony set the sledgehammer down again and wiped his brow free of sweat with the back of his arm. “Where’s the thermostat in here? I’m sweltering.” Wiping the back of his hand over his mouth, he then tugged his shirt off and tossed it to the side, deciding the ribbed tank he wore beneath it was far better for the environment he was working in. “Feel free to take off your shirt too if you’re too hot you know…” Tony turned to glance at her and drifted off, noticing her hair was back up again.

“You were sabotaging yourself?” Scarlett didn’t bother to look back at him and instead continued onto the next crate which was far harder to empty considering the sheer size of the crate itself and the piping it contained. Despite her usual strength, recovery was taking its toll on her. When she got the chance she’d have to ask for access to a gym so she could start some sort of physical therapy to get her strengths back up to par.

“If I recreate this element what does that mean?” Tony’s voice was quieter, more serious as he reaffirmed his grip on the sledgehammer again.

“Free and clean energy.” Scarlett shrugged, since she had only assumed that had been the goal behind what Tony was doing. After removing half of the piping from the first crate she started to search around the room for a thermostat.

“Well, yeah.” Tony chuckled, smashing the hammer against the wall a few more times, making a few grunts with his exertion. “But what else? If I make this element, this converter and have the arc reactor’s energy available to the public that means… that it’s available to the public. I’m not the only genius in the world, you know.”

“Honestly I wasn’t sure if _you_ knew that.” Scarlett laughed, surprised to hear Tony admit something that made him seem more ordinary.

“I’m still one of a kind. I don’t anticipate anyone quite like _me_ to pop out of the woodworks but there are remarkable minds out there, like yours, that are far more advanced than I ever expected to witness.” Setting down the sledgehammer with a loud thud, Tony started to pull chunks of loose concrete away from the wall and toss them onto the ground.

“I’m flattered, I think.”

“You should be. But think about it, Scarlett. Look at the remarkable things I’ve created with this arc reactor technology. It keeps me _alive._ Without it the shrapnel in my chest would plunge into my heart and kill me.” Scarlett didn’t respond. Even not being a fan of Tony’s it was a terrible thing to think about. All that stood between Tony Stark and death at any moment was the electromagnet in his chest. “I became Iron Man because of the power I generated. If I was anyone else and my motives were any _less_ pure than they already are think of the damage I could do.”

“So you’re worried that someone with less than savory intent would access the power you’re providing them with and do horrible things with it.”

“My dad helped create the atomic bomb and look what that’s turned into. Yeah, we won the war because of it but… was it really worth the threat of potential nuclear disaster worldwide?”

“You think that Howard didn’t consider the dire consequences of what he was creating?” Scarlett found the thermostat and fiddled with it for a moment before changing the settings and lowering the temperature settings for the air conditioning system.

“I’m not sure he did.” Tony sighed, starting to pull the hidden wiring out of the wall, far enough for him to see what was what and to find out what he needed to do before he cut off access to the main grid so he could cut into the wires without getting electrocuted. When the air conditioning kicked on over head, Tony leaned his head back and looked up at the vent that provided him with a cold breeze and groaned with relief. “I could kiss you right now.”

“It’s a good thing you’re all the way across the room then, isn’t it?” Scarlett wiped her own forehead free of sweat before returning to the crate she’d abandoned in favor of her search for the thermostat. “I think Howard knew the consequences of his actions. Look, your dad was brilliant and he had to have foreseen what the world would do with something like the atomic bomb. You may be twice the powerhouse he was Stark, but your father was no idiot and from what I’ve read he was most certainly not naïve to the darkness that lies within the heart of all mankind.”

“You’re probably right.” Tony considered what she said. “But what if I… save the world, so to speak, by providing free and clean energy all over the planet and people take advantage of it? What if by doing what I think is the right thing I inadvertently create the next war of super technology?” Leaning against the wall and reaching into the hole he created he closed his eyes and stopped digging for a moment. “I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing anymore. I know it’s what my father wanted me to do but is it _really_ what the world needs?”

“Stark,” Scarlett began, walking away from the crate she’d been working on to approach him. He didn’t bother to turn to look at her. “You’re doing the right thing. No matter what you do or what you change there will be evil men and women in the world and they will find a way with or without you to do evil things. There’s no way to stop bad things from happening. All you can control is the good _you_ do.” Taking off her safety glasses she wiped them on her shirt before setting them down on the computer desk.

“Is that what you’d do in my position?” He leaned his arm against the wall and rested his sweaty head against it, looking back at her.

“Me?” Scarlett was wondering if Tony was really looking for advice or consolation. Walking over to where he stood she tapped the reactor in his chest that glowed brightly even beneath his dark tank top. “I’d follow my heart. It sounds stupid but you know the right thing to do. You’re going to change the world one way or another. Whether it’s with your Marks, the amazing advancement in reinforcement this lab has shown me, or even the clean energy you’re working on sharing with the world. If you do this, you will do it the right way because you have seen firsthand what evil men do with power when they’re given it.” Keeping her finger against the reactor for a moment she offered him a smile before turning back to her work.

“Wow.” Tony watched her walk away, leaning heavily against his arm, moistening his lips and then laughing under his breath. “You think I’m _more_ brilliant a genius than my dad?”

“Really?” Scarlett stopped mid-walk and turned back to him. “That’s what you got out of that whole speech?” Scoffing she shook her head and then continued to push the crate she’d emptied into the hallway. “Yes, I think you have the potential to be even greater than your father. From what I know of his career, he had a rough beginning. You’ve been breaking the preconceived notions of the science world since you were a kid. While I’m sure you’re well aware of this, you are bound to exceed his greatness.”

“Wow.” Tony continued to be speechless. She’d spent countless hours arguing with him, putting his ego to shame and insulting him. Now there she was giving him the single greatest compliment he’d ever received. But instead of boosted as he expected to feel, he felt riddled with guilt. The compliment had not been the thing he’d focused on when she’d spoke. He had a lot to consider before he solved the energy crisis. Scarlett had a lot of valid points and it’d really gotten him thinking. He watched her again while she scratched at her leg after she’d returned from the hallway. About to make a quip about how she could remove her pants too if she needed to, he was interrupted when she continued to speak.

“Perhaps you’ll even be able to make up for the evils that your company has done in the world. The evil your father inadvertently unleashed upon the world when he created his weapons manufacturing company was far more extensive than anyone could’ve anticipated.” Scarlett opened another crate and muttered several curse words under her breath in Afrikaans when she realized it was filled with the same heavy piping she’d emptied out of the last crate. If she had to guess, the next crate would be filled with the same.

“I had no idea about any of that.” Tony wondered if she believed him. He got the vibe from her that she thought he was a villain despite the unspoken bond they seemed to share. It could’ve been the yelling she’d done the day before about his company and the corruption it’s fed into the world or it could’ve been the way she carried herself but there was a hesitation about her that was filled with conflict. He’d kill to know what was going on in her mind at any given moment.

“Don’t start with me, Stark.” Scarlett didn’t bother to look at him.

“You keep accusing me of corruption and the sale of weapons throughout the world to gangs that caused nothing but hell on earth, but your accusations are completely unfounded. I had no idea what was happening in Stark Industries. The moment I found out I stopped the manufacturing of weapons and despite the confidence I had in the move I knew the financial blow I was taking when I did it. Why would I do that if I was behind the weapons distribution in the first place?”

“How about saving face after it back fired?” Scarlett wasn’t prepared to have a fight with Tony about the past evils he’d committed. Even if there was a slim chance of him not having been behind any of it, she didn’t want to consider it. All she knew were the facts of what she’d learned about MedCo before they’d imprisoned her and all roads ended with Stark Industries. If she was so confident in his villainy, why did she have to keep reminding herself of the facts?

“You think I stopped manufacturing weapons because I saw firsthand what they were doing? Yes, that’s exactly what I did but it was because I’d had _no_ idea they were being distributed to those types of groups.”

“And whose fault is that Stark?” Scarlett stopped working on the crate and turned to face him a scowl across face. It was time he was held accountable for what he’d done.

“A man I trusted with my life, who I looked up to as a _father_ after mine had died was manipulating me. Right under my nose, Obadiah Stane was making underhanded deals with rebel groups around the world to make a pretty penny. He was mad with power by the end, but if you’d known him you never would’ve seen it or guessed it of him!” Tony was angrier than he should’ve been. Obadiah’s betrayal would burn him for the rest of his life. As if Tony didn’t have enough issues trusting others, one of the people closest to him had lied and deceived him far worse than anyone before in his life.

“So you just avoided the newspapers, the news reports? You just ignored the reporters screaming at you about the chaos in the Middle East? How about South America? Or Africa? You wouldn’t believe the terror I’ve seen your weapons cause in my line of work and you claim you had _no_ idea until one of those weapons were pointed at _you_? Now you’re being _stupid_.”

“You said it yourself! Evil men find a way to get their hands on the things they need to do evil things. I didn’t think my company was handing them the means to an end!” Tony spoke defensively, starting toward her, abandoning the hole he’d made in the concrete. The point he was trying to make seemed far more important than a hole in the wall.

“ _If_ and that’s a very big if, you didn’t see it Stark then it was because you didn’t want to see it. You knew vile things were being done with your weapons but you didn’t want to know _how_ it was happening. As long as you got to stay in your comfortable home with your luxury cars and thousand dollar suits you didn’t give a damn what happened to the people out there! You were too immature and stupid to see it!” Scarlett couldn’t look at Tony. He’d deceived her too many times already with the gentleness and seduction in his eyes and she wouldn’t let him do it again, not when she was so certain about the facts.

“You’re right.” Tony walked up to her and watched her while she worked. She looked wounded and not physically. Could she blame him for what had happened to her? What terror had she seen his weapons cause? What darkness was hidden in the mind of playful woman in front of him? “I knew my weapons were being found in different countries and there was proof that they were being used to create chaos around the world and I did nothing to stop it. I didn’t even ask how they’d gotten there, I just ignored it. I was an idiot and all I cared about was getting laid and getting paid.” When she didn’t stop to look at him, he started to help empty the heavy pipes from the crate just to have something to do with his hands. Lifting one, he was surprised momentarily that she had lifted so many already on her own despite her withered leg before he deemed it too unimportant to question considering the topic of conversation. 

“But now I’m well aware. The moment I made myself aware and faced up to what my company had done I tried to put a stop to it and I haven’t stopped since. I don’t expect that the world will ever forgive me for the devastation I’ve caused and the lives my family has destroyed. All I can do is try to help now that I know better. My life means nothing, Scarlett, if I can’t leave this world before I change it for the better.” Tony walked to the next crate with the crowbar Scarlett had abandoned on the floor and opened the lid of it. Scarlett stopped and leaned heavily against the crate to take the pressure off of her throbbing leg before leaning around the edge of it to watch Tony.

The sincerity in his voice had shaken her resolve again. If it turned out that Tony was as much of a pawn in MedCo’s scheme as she and Scott were, where would it leave her? Where would she go next? Could she be wasting her time with Tony? The only thing she could do was track down those who were really behind what had been done. But what if someone else in Tony’s company had been behind it? He’d been betrayed once before and what she’d witnessed and experienced in Africa had been no lie. Someone had gotten new technology from Stark Industries when she’d been working for MedCo and even if Tony ended up not being the root of all evil as she had suspected, then perhaps someone else near him was the culprit.

For the time being she would stick to what she knew and that was that Tony Stark was either a great man or the craftiest liar she had ever met before in her life and she was less inclined to believe the first option. If he was lying, he had learned to manipulate her weaknesses and to find a way to get her to trust him. Unfortunately, she _wanted_ to trust him. Something inside her heart was desperately pleading for her to stay with him. Touching her hand to her chest she closed her eyes and remembered what she’d told Tony only a few moments ago. She would do what she _knew_ was right in her heart and not let her mind control her as it had always done.

She’d so desperately wanted Tony Stark to be a villain that she could rid the world of but now that she’d discovered he was nowhere near it, her mind kept rejecting what her heart knew was fact.

“Why don’t we take a break and get something to eat?” Scarlett stood up straight, leaning away from the crate. She needed some fresh air and time to clear her head of conflict before she continued working. But before she could take a step away from the crate her leg completely crumpled beneath her as it had done when she’d gotten out of bed that morning. Something about this time particular fall was different. Pain shot through her leg, down to her foot, immediately numbing it.

Tony dropped the pipe he’d been working with, causing it to dent against the concrete floor and hurried to where she’d fallen on the floor.

“I’m fine, it’s probably going to happen a few times.” Scarlett tried to shoo Tony away before he got to her.

“You are _not_ fine.” Tony knelt next to her and swatted her hands away as she grabbed at her leg to keep him from looking at it. Immediately, he pried at her hands to take a better look. Relenting easily, Scarlett had very little choice but to let him check on the damage done to her leg because of the pain that continued to increase with every second that passed.

“Okay, so maybe I lied.” Scarlett whimpered, closing her eyes and clutching at the crate next to her so she could have something to grip onto. Her vision was obstructed by spots and pain and something smelled terrible.

“Jesus,” Tony cursed under his breath. The jeans covering Scarlett’s wound were smoldering as though the chemical on her leg had started to eat at them and destroy them.


	17. Liar Liar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting again week after week. I'm going to be editing these too, so soon there will be better summaries/writing and such. I wrote these years ago now :3

The gauze beneath the denim was sticking to Scarlett’s skin, melted like it’d been set on fire. Burning and aching horribly, Scarlett hunched over the wound and grabbed her knee to keep it still. Her leg had started to tremble and throb uncontrollably; seizing from whatever reaction was causing her such renewed pain. Even when she’d first gotten the burn in the explosion in Africa it hadn’t pained her so horribly.

“Let me look at it!” Tony tried to push her hands away from the wound but she swatted him away and practically snarled in response.

“You are _not_ a doctor, Stark! A _doctorate_ doesn’t make you a _medical_ doctor or we’d both be set so back off! You’ve done more than enough!” Scarlett hissed in anger, her words like venom. It wasn’t that she didn’t _want_ him to look at the wound, but her defenses were kicking into gear. All she could think to do was protect her leg from further attack. Pain did strange things to a person and Scarlett’s instincts were telling her to be on her guard. The smell, much like the sulfur of a burnt match, only increased as her wound continued to smolder. Denim smoked and started to wear away over the wound, revealing glimpses of the burn she’d gotten days ago. What had been healing in the morning was now bright red and agitated, oozing and bloody. The remains of the jeans were discolored and stained.

Not willing to argue with her when she seemed to be reacting so violently, Tony got up and hurried to the computer desk where he picked up an office phone. When someone on the other line answered he started yelling orders into it. One of his many strengths had been taking charge when situations became dire and this was as dire a situation as any he could think of.

“Do we have any doctors on staff today? Medical doctors though, not us doctors. You know for lab accidents or injuries?” Tony wasn’t offended that Scarlett had shooed him away. In fact, he was more concerned that he’d done something to worsen her injury rather than aid her as he’d intended to do from the get go. Guilt seared in his stomach, something he’d grown increasingly familiar with ever since he’d returned from captivity in Afghanistan. He popped an antacid in his mouth and hoped it’d get rid of the nagging feeling. 

After the man on the other end of the phone got back to him, he cursed under his breath. “None on site? _None_? Isn’t that part of protocol? What happens when we have melt downs, huh? Call a damn doctor and send him over immediately!” Tony practically threw the phone across the room when he heard Scarlett whine in pain from behind him. She’d been in bad shape when he’d found her in the desert, but even then, during her fleeting moments of consciousness, she had never made such a distressed sound.

Hurrying back to her side without bothering to hang up, he watched her struggle on the floor in pain. He guessed that arguing with her about the next step wasn’t going to get him anywhere so instead approached the situation from a different angle. Crouching next to her, Tony touched a hand to her back gingerly. If he could get her to calm down, then maybe they’d be able to work through the pain as a team.

“Hey,” He whispered soothingly. To his surprise, she swatted him away with surprising strength, causing him to lose his balance and fall on his backside. “Damnit, Scarlett I’m trying to help you!”

“Haven’t you done enough?” Scarlett repeated and grabbed at the forming holes in her jeans and started to tug. Maybe if she could at least get the wound to breathe, she could ease the stinging pain she felt. Tony immediately grabbed her hands and stopped her from pulling at the denim any further.

“You’re not thinking clearly, Scarlett! Don’t touch it! You’re getting it on your hands!” They struggled physically for a moment before she relented and allowed him to keep holding her hands. She was trembling from head to toe but trying to breathe through it and hide the visible shaking.

“It hurts…” As much as she wanted to argue with Tony, the pain was muddling her thoughts. Every time she tried to logically solve the problem of her leg, the pain shot through her senses and reminded her of just how awful it was. The rest of her had started to shudder as terribly as her leg had been and before she realized it she couldn’t hide the violent tremors. Tony could only guess she was either going into shock or having some sort of panic induced fit from the pain.

“Calm down, Scarlett! It’s okay, I called a doctor and he’ll come help you.” Tony eased her slowly back onto the floor, still holding both of her hands. Once there he had put both of her hands down at her sides he touched the side of her neck. “You’re going to be just fine. You’re just having a bad reaction to the denim.” Tony tried to sound soothing but was busy trying to think. If it was a reaction to the denim or to the way the wound was constricted and not getting enough oxygen beneath the jeans, then the only solution seemed to be to take them off and he knew she wouldn’t like that idea. Then there was the nagging fear that the doctor wouldn’t get there in time to help. Tony couldn’t sit idly by comforting her for a doctor that could take an hour to get there.

“Stop making assumptions. You don’t know what you’re doing.” Scarlett took deep breaths and partially regained her senses on the floor. While her shaking hadn’t ceased and her brain was still in panic mode she could concentrate on something other than the pain for a few moments at a time if she concentrated hard enough.

“Assumptions or not, we have to do something. Scarlett, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m going to take off your jeans.” Tony offered her a smile then pushed up her shirt so he could get to the waistline of her pants.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Scarlett sat up instantly and grabbed at his wrist to stop him. Her body was shaking and fighting her every move and it had taken nearly all of her energy to force herself off of the floor. Her limbs seemed stiff and rigid and almost as instantly as she sat up, she couldn’t stay that way so she leaned heavily against Tony.

“I’m not trying anything _sexual_ with you right now, you’re practically on fire!” Tony scoffed, in awe of her stubbornness.

“Get the scissors and cut away the part over my wound, you don’t have to _take_ my pants off entirely, Stark!” Scarlett tried to regain her balance so she could at least sit upright without having to put her weight on Tony but struggled.

“Damnit, I have never had one woman give me such a hard time about getting into her pants.” Tony’s humor went ignored when Scarlett nearly growled at him in response. Letting go of her he started looking around for a pair of scissors, but couldn’t find anything. There wasn’t even a box cutter lying around. The only thing he could think to use was the pair of wire cutters he had prepared to do electrical work with but somehow that seemed more dangerous than taking her pants off did.

“Now is not exactly the right time to be a smart ass.” Scarlett hunched forward again when her body refused to stay upright. She was using all of her concentration to try and resist tearing at the denim that was smoking away against her leg. She was starting to panic that the denim would get into the wound and permanently damage her muscle tissue if it continued.

“Damnit, Scarlett.” Tony started on what promised to be another rant as he returned to her side, crouched the way he’d been before she’d knocked him over.

“When is the damn doctor going to get here? Didn’t you say there was a doctor? Or did I make that up?” Scarlett closed her eyes tightly and tried to stomach the pain she was feeling. Was this her punishment for the horrible things she’d done? Did she deserve to lose every bit of herself piece by piece in burning horrific pain until she knew exactly what it felt like to be at the other end of her treachery? Cursing mentally, Scarlett forced the blame out of her mind. The last thing she needed was to be an emotional wreck on top of the current pain she was experiencing. Her mind was searching for a reason for the pain and a source to blame, and the only thing she could find was her actions.

“He’s not going to get here in time.” Tony closed his own eyes and tried to consider what to do next. If she wasn’t going to let him get rid of what was irritating the wound he’d have to take a different approach entirely. He couldn’t sit and watch Scarlett tremble in pain in front of him. There had to be some sort of action he could take to offer her some relief.

He expected Scarlett to react in some way to his not being prepared for an emergency or to make some wisecrack at how he’d screwed up but instead she leaned bent over in pain. She was pale, ashen and looked sick to her stomach. The tips of her fingers were red and irritated from where she’d been pulling at the jeans and Tony could feel that his hands were too, from having touched her afterward. It was like something had turned toxic between the mixture of the chemical he’d been using to neutralize her burn, the denim and the gauze. Guilt churned again at the idea that he could’ve been the cause of the pain she was experiencing.

It was then that he recalled that in each lab he’d made sure they had a room set up for lab accidents in each building. There would be a shower in there where he could at least rinse the toxic chemical off of them. While he had no doubt it would sting, if he could get the reaction to stop then they could at least evaluate what damage had been done. All he had to do was find the room in question.

Slipping his hand beneath her knees and the other around her back he lifted her up easily. Expecting her to fight him and argue about being carried around and treated like someone who couldn’t care for herself, his concern grew when she instead leaned heavily against him and hid her face against his shoulder. Spots were obstructing her vision and her stomach was churning with nausea and illness. She was repeating to herself that she had to stay conscious, simply to keep herself that way. She’d slipped completely into shock now, her body trembling from head to toe. The pain in her thigh continued steadily, like burning hot daggers stabbing into her flesh and twisting only to be agitated with salt. It took all of her effort to stay conscious and to keep from throwing up.

Her lungs were constricting and she felt cold and achy on top of everything else. Tony carried her from the room and up a flight of stairs, searching for the room set up for lab accidents. She was sweating terribly now despite her shivering, like she had a fever. Nearly every symptom of shock had more than set in. If it got any worse, Tony would have to call an ambulance or get a helicopter to take her to the hospital. Well aware to how she would argue against these things he tried to rack his brain for a solution. Other than the lab they’d started to prepare downstairs, there was little to no supplies in their current building. 

Rushing through the hallway he scanned the signs next to the doors in search of what he was looking for. Once he found the room at the end of the hall, he kicked the door open and carried her inside, the door swinging shut loudly behind him. Setting her down on the shower floor at the far end of the room, he slammed his hand on the shower trigger then crouched inside of it next to her. The spray of cool water hit them like a ton of bricks. Ice cold droplets of water crashed against them in an assault of purified water. At once Scarlett howled in pain from the feeling of the water against her wound.

Scarlett had instantly tried to hide from the spray against the wall, still shaking all over. Her lips were turning blue and her eyes were distant. Tony grabbed her from where she futilely hid against the wall and pulled her into his arms to comfort her. Then he forced her to straighten her legs in front of her and held her torso close against his. He hid her face against his chest and rested his own in her hair. The water finally warmed up and was less startling as it washed over them. Still trembling, Tony held her close, eyes closed.

“Breathe with me okay?” He whispered in her ear until he felt her shaking calm at last. Turning to look down at the wound on her leg, he saw that it had stopped smoking and twitching but the burn was now showing through the denim that had been eaten away.

The skin was raw and pus covered; the wound bloodied and messy. Thankfully the water was starting to wash even that away. Scarlett’s thoughts were still muddled with pain but starting to clear thanks to the surprisingly soothing water. Whatever had caused her to feel such misery was starting to wash away, but the ache of the wound still remained, amplified.

Leaning her head back to look up at Tony, Scarlett forced a smile for a split second to let him know she was going to be okay. Shock had started to fade now that the source of the pain had been eliminated leaving her feeling completely and totally exhausted. Water dripped on the two in the shower still, soaking them from head to toe. 

“We still need to take your pants off.” Tony cleared his throat once he felt safe to talk again. He wiped his face free of water only to have it returned from the spray of the shower. Scarlett sneered and closed her eyes.

“Not a chance in hell, Stark.” Scarlett’s voice cracked as she spoke and sounded weak but she made no move to actually stop him. “If you really want to get into my pants then you’re going to have to do more than get lucky with a chemical reaction.” The pain had rendered her near completely useless. Scarlett had experienced some nasty blows before, but that was something unlike anything she’d ever been through before in her life. Pain was different when it was being inflicted by someone and could be blamed on them. When the pain was coming from within there was no monster to fight off, no cause to eliminate, only pain. Pain without distraction was the worst thing she’d ever dealt with.

“I don’t know if it’s the denim, the gauze, or even the chemical I’ve been using to treat you but we can’t leave your jeans on after that.” Tony brushed his fingers over her face and tilted her chin up to look at him again. Drained, she stared at him, sopping wet in the darkness of the medical room and considered what to do.

“Fine, but only if this doesn’t count toward your attempts to get me naked. This situation is definitely not fair.” Scarlett hid her face again against his chest. She was too tired to argue with Tony about something as trivial as pants. And it wasn’t like she was embarrassed to be without them, just stubborn. The more she reflected on the situation at hand, the less important it seemed to fight him on the subject.

“Don’t worry, this is way less fun than what I’ve been aiming for anyway.” Tony laughed, grateful to have her arguing with him again and sounding more like her old self. She was obviously not feeling well after she’d started to recover and he’d have to remind himself to take it easy on her. “So much for getting the lab assembled today, huh?” Tony chuckled under his breath after he allowed her to lean against the wall of the shower. Sitting in front of her he unbuckled her belt and unzipped her jeans. 

Tugging them down, he was careful around the wound and found the denim sticking to parts of the burn, like the fabric had melted upon contact with whatever had offended it. He’d have to run some tests, but he was guessing between the lack of oxygen, the chemical he’d been using, and the denim rubbing against her wound it had caused some sort of reaction.

“Right.” Scarlett managed a laugh but then winced as she watched Tony peel the soaked denim away from her legs. He’d had to pick at parts of her wound to get the denim and gauze away. Once he’d finished he discarded the jeans in wet heap in the far corner of the shower. Without them she felt immediately better than she’d felt moments prior. The pain had finally started to relent and though the burn stung from the contact with the water, it was easier to breathe. Her chest no longer felt constricted, her hands no longer shook and while she still felt clammy and exhausted, she was simply relieved to be able to think clearly.

“There, no more pants.” Tony patted her good leg and then looked at her seriously. He wanted to tell her how relieved he was to see her breathing properly and speaking coherently but instead he pulled her back into his arms and gave her forehead a kiss. His lips lingered against her wet skin, not ready to pull away. He closed his eyes and held her while the water washed away the ooze from her offensive looking burn on her thigh. A few moments later, the water shut off automatically, leaving the two sitting on the floor of the shower in the darkness.

“Happy now?” Scarlett smiled slightly, not moving her head away from his shoulder. She hated to admit it, but Tony had saved her again when she hadn’t been able to think clearly. Why did he have to be so damn good to her? Why couldn’t he have been the chauvinistic egomaniac she’d read about in the papers for years? Instead he’d been her savior on more than one occasion and now in her moment of need, he held her and comforted her.

“Not at all.” Tony laughed relief still thick in his voice. Glancing down at her legs, he saw how red and irritated the skin around the burn had become but it already looked better and back on its way to healing. Now that the panic had subsided, he found no reason not to enjoy what was in front of him. He only stopped when Scarlett smacked his chest in annoyance.

“Oh, quit it.” Closing her eyes she stayed leaning against him. If he was willing to support her then she saw no reason to embrace it. On top of that, her eyes didn’t want to stay open. Once she got back to the Stark mansion she would request she get to sleep the rest of the night.

“Now that we’re not panicking I can’t enjoy your legs? _Someone_ should enjoy your legs… It’d be a shame for them to go unappreciated… Wet and glistening the way they are.” Tony’s lips curled into a smirk. Scarlett shook her head in amusement and couldn’t help but laugh. Pleased to see her reacting positively at last, he continued on. There was no more guilt involved with acting on instinct. “And I have to say how relieved I am that you don’t wear granny panties. I always worry about that. These are quite cute, I’m pleased.”

“Will you stop looking?” Scarlett laughed and pushed him off of her. Leaning against the wall of the shower she heaved a sigh and wiped the water from her face. “Next time we do this, I’m working in a skirt and you can’t talk me out of it.”

“I’ll just try to get you to work without clothes on from now on, okay?” Tony stood up and shook his head, his hair still dripping wet. Glancing around the room he started to search for towels to dry them off.

“I’m sure you will. God you’re an ass.” Now that things had settled, Scarlett couldn’t stop laughing. Why were things suddenly _so_ hilarious? Maybe it was because wearing pants had practically set her leg on fire. Or maybe it was because Tony had taken off her pants without them having some sort of sexual experience. Or perhaps it was that she hadn’t handled the situation on her own at all. Her whole life she’d been fighting battle after battle on her own and now that she wanted to be independent more than anything fate was forcing her to rely on the very man she’d set out to sabotage. Everything seemed so terribly comical.

“Oh, is that how you thank the man who saved your life _again?_ I’m beginning to think that you might not know _how_ to be grateful.” Tony found a towel and instead of using it for himself, he walked to where Scarlett was sitting in the shower. He wrapped it around her shoulders and started to dry off her face with the corners of it. Scarlett’s smile fell and she looked down at the burn on her leg again. For a fleeting moment during her pain riddled stupor, she’d thought about how the constant hardships had been punishment for the nasty things she’d done in her life. Could she tell him about those thoughts? Tony had spent the last few years trying to redeem his name from the torrid life he’d lived. If anyone would understand the struggle she was suddenly faced with, it would be him.

“What?” Tony stopped drying her off and tilted his head to the side to better look at her. “Scarlett, what is it?”

“Nothing.” Scarlett glanced up at him and shook the thoughts from her mind. Why was redemption so important now? Wasn’t she supposed to be getting justice for Scott? Her career had been spent going from one mission to the next, completing some task for someone or another. Maybe it was time for her to do something for herself.

“That didn’t _look_ like nothing. Were you hoping I’d take my pants off too? Because, I’m afraid that’s not a very good idea right now, considering.” Tony chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood. He wondered if the shock of the pain was lingering and throwing her off and hoped it was only that and nothing more.

“No, that was definitely not what was going through my mind.” Scarlett managed to push her rebellious thoughts away and smiled at Tony. “I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“How badly I handled that.” Tony tucked the towel around her then let her dry herself off more properly. He got up and retrieved a towel for himself though he knew it would be futile to try and dry off entirely when their clothing was still soaked. Maybe if he called Pepper she’d bring them something to change into.

“Considering how terrible that was, I think you handled it pretty well.”

“I froze up, Stark.” She sighed in frustration then used the shower wall to push herself to a standing position. Tony watched her carefully, prepared to help her if she fell.

“You were in pain.”

“I’ve done a lot more than that with much worse pain.” Scarlett looked at him skeptically. “If you weren’t here with me, what would I have done? Curled up and cried until I passed out?” Scoffing she shook her head. It wasn’t only that moment that had bothered her. She knew her limits with her current wounds and had continually pushed herself beyond what she could handle. Her poor decision making was bound to catch up with her at some point.

“You would’ve handled it.” Tony offered her his hand which she initially rejected. Giving her a knowing look she reluctantly took it and stumbled out of the shower, doing her best not to put more weight on her leg than necessary.

“You can’t possibly know that.” Sighing, she looked back to Tony after she managed another step. “Thank you. If you weren’t here…”

“Stop it.” Tony pointed an accusing finger at her. “You would’ve been _fine._ Stop thanking me, it’s weird. Come on… Let me carry you to a chair or something, okay? This is going to take all day at this rate.”

“I can do it just fine on my own.” Muttering in annoyance she swatted his other hand away and then felt her leg give out as she stumbled forward. Tony caught her and held her against his chest to keep her from hitting the ground, both arms around her waist.

“You were saying?” Tony smiled down at her. She looked lost. Something was happening behind those deep blue eyes, something she wasn’t telling him. While his curious nature insisted he pry and try to find out what, his gut told him to stay out of it. She’d been through more than he could’ve imagined in her past by the sounds of it and pushing her to talk about it could potentially push her further away. 

If anyone had pushed him to talk about what he’d gone through with Yinsen in Afghanistan then he would’ve mentally retreated instead of embracing his fate and having dealt with the bad hand he’d been dealt. It had taken him a long time, but he’d finally started to cope with the arc reactor in his chest. It was his chance to do better and be a better man not his curse that had crippled him. Maybe Scarlett was dealing with something similar. When she was ready to talk, she’d talk and when she was less fragile, he’d ask her.

He’d expected her to say something snarky in response but instead she just stared at him. It was different than before when she’d been desperately seeking help. Being so close to her brought him a different kind of thirst and it seemed to do the same for her. She was thinking of the times they’d been interrupted in the restaurant and in his lab. For a brief moment she’d had his lips and she wanted to know what it was actually like to kiss him. But was it what she really wanted or was she still struggling with the after effects of her traumatic experience?

Tony’s heart was suddenly pounding in his ears, his reactor working a little harder than it had been before she’d been inches from his face. Why was it that every time the two of them got close, he hesitated? Something was stopping him from making that final move that he so desperately wanted. Was it the fear that it’d be like every other failed relationship he’d had in the past? Or was it something else? The woman whose breath he could feel brushing against his neck was the most complex riddle he’d ever come across. He had to collect his thoughts or take the plunge. If he kissed her now, he might be taking advantage of her and if something happened between them, he didn’t want to call it that. As much as he would usually want to hold it over her head that he’d gotten her, he wanted her to not regret what she’d chosen to do.

“I should call Pepper and have her bring us a change clothes. As sexy as this is, walking around sopping wet isn’t ideal. I don’t handle colds very well.” Tony slipped his phone out of his pocket and shook the water off of it. Luckily, he’d built the device to be protected against the elements. Short of it being purposely broken, it wasn’t going to fall apart or short out anytime soon. Scarlett nodded her head and looked away from his eyes. She was vulnerable and was having a hard time putting her walls back up. They’d crumbled thanks to the pain and the shock she’d experienced and now she felt too weak to rebuild. 

“Yeah, good idea.” Scarlett’s voice was barely a whisper. She couldn’t get the thought of his lips out of her head and she guessed he was struggling with the same.

“Potts?” Tony heard the familiar voice of his redheaded assistant on the other end of the phone. Putting her on speakerphone he pulled the phone away from his ear. “Hey, I need a favor.”

“It depends on what it is, Tony. I’m busy, contrary to what you seem to think. I cannot drop everything I’m doing just because you need a churro or something ridiculous.” Pepper sounded distracted by something, but they could only guess what it was.

“I need you to call Happy and meet us here with one of the cars and a change of clothes for both of us. No pants for her though, okay? Make it something that’s not constricting.” Tony didn’t explain why, but instead wanted to see what Pepper would say in response to that. He quickly slipped a hand over Scarlett’s mouth when he saw her preparing to explain.

“What did I tell you about taking advantage of employees, Tony?” Pepper finally sighed. There was the sound of shuffling papers then her heels echoing against the floor. Shoving Tony’s hand away from her mouth, Scarlett tried to clear her thoughts. She’d so desperately wanted to kiss him to thank him for what he’d done for her. More than that, she wanted to give into the tension that had continuously bubbled up between them and for all the wrong reasons.

“She’s _not_ my employee, thank you very much, we’re partners remember? And if I recall that means we make our decisions equally.” Tony couldn’t help but smirk. Pepper grunted in annoyance. “Just do it, okay? It’s not what you think it is. We need clothes and the car… and churros.”

“Fine, Tony.” Pepper hung up before Tony could make another snide remark. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he looked down at Scarlett who seemed to be once again ignoring him. If she kept retreating mentally like that his curiosity would force him to ask her what was going on. An arm still around her he readjusted and pulled her closer so he could lift her up and set her down on the gurney at the far end of the room.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Tony hoped that asking under the guise of concern for her wound would keep her from snapping at him. He wanted to get answers before he put her down. “You look upset.”

“No, it’s not that.” Scarlett cleared her throat and returned to reality. If she was going to get the truth about what happened with Scott in Africa, she would have to get back on top of her game. Slowly, her resolve was building. “I’m just a little uncomfortable with you holding me like this when I’m not wearing any pants.”

“If you think you’re uncomfortable _now_ then you’re lucky that my pants are still on because that would only make this that much _more_ uncomfortable for you.” Tony grinned. She swatted at his shoulder again and gave it a playful shove. Lifting her up carefully, he carried her across the room then set her down on the gurney.

“I can walk on my own, I’m just a little bit unsteady. You can’t carry me around everywhere. And you most certainly don’t need another excuse to grope me.” Scarlett smiled despite her accusations and then grabbed his wrist when he tried to pull away.

“I told you that if your leg gave out and I had to carry you out of here today, then you wouldn’t get to complain when I groped you. That was part of the deal!” Tony laughed, pointing toward the hallway. “Don’t you remember?”

“I never agreed to that, you just hoped I did.”

“You ignored me, which I always assume means you agreed with me.”

“No wonder Pepper doesn’t respond to you anymore. It’s pointless!” Scarlett laughed and tugged him closer by his arm.

“Okay, you’re sending me mixed signals now. Do I _not_ grope you or do I come closer and grope you? You have to make up your mind.” Tony leaned with her tug and smiled down at her.

“I’m trying to talk to you and you keep rambling on about sexual things.”

“I know we just met the other day but I thought you’d be used to this by now.” Tony cleared his throat. Humor was the best remedy he could think of. If he could make Scarlett laugh and entertain her, then maybe she’d stop pulling away from him emotionally. Not that he particularly wanted her to open up and spill her guts to him, but he definitely didn’t want her to retreat where he couldn’t reach her if he chose to.

“I don’t think it’s something I could ever just get used to.” Scarlett laughed.

“Well that’s good right?”

“It means you’re not boring.” Nodding her head Scarlett let go of his arm and looked to the side. “I just wanted to say thank you again.”

“I told you to stop that. I know I said I wanted you to be grateful, but this is just plain weird.”

“That’s partially why I’m insisting upon doing it. I know you think that I’m being soft or something because of how I slipped into shock there for a few moments but I’m not. You helped me despite how I’d lashed out at you and I am really appreciative.”

Tony didn’t respond this time and instead stared at her. Narrowing his eyes, he searched for a catch or waited for her to follow up with some sort of snarky retort about how he could’ve been the cause of what had happened to her. It was Tony who had put the chemical on her and Tony who had bound her leg that morning. He’d forced her to go upstairs and get changed into jeans and had the idea of working in the lab when he knew she was far from healed. In his mind, it _had_ been his fault and he’d simply been cleaning up the mess he made and taking responsibility for his actions.

“And not just for that.” Scarlett took a deep breath and seemed to be bracing herself for something painful. “You saved me in the desert. I would’ve been taken by MedCo or left for dead in the sand and you saved me even though you had no idea if I was friend or foe at the time. I woke up and panicked because I just don’t _like_ you very much. Despite being a total bitch you’ve done nothing but try to help me.”

“And repeatedly get you into bed.” Tony added in.

“Yes, and repeatedly try to get me into bed to no avail.” Scarlett laughed and shook her head. “Do you understand why no one thanks you for anything?”

“I don’t. It’s a complete mystery.” Tony smiled down at her. “Stop it. Really. I know you’re grateful, I could tell when you didn’t try to kill me. You saved my life last night and I was a complete ass about it and yet you were still nice to me this morning.” He shrugged and then tucked a stray hair behind her ear. This was an action he’d become rather fond of doing with her though he still hated that her hair was still pulled back and away from her face.

“That’s true, I was pretty helpful and you were incredibly ungrateful.” Scarlett pursed her lips and leaned a little closer to Tony. The tension between them was constant, she couldn’t escape. Even though her leg was throbbing and she was physically and mentally drained, his eyes captivated her and his lips called to her.

“I learned from watching you. I mean, you’re teaching me bad behaviors by just being here. I might wake up tomorrow and insist I don’t need pants because of how good you’re making it look. You’re a _terrible_ influence.” Tony joked, leaning closer to her, standing so he was leaning against the gurney, looking down at her. Scarlett laughed. The heaviness of her dark thoughts was starting to fade thanks to Tony and his constant joking.

“Shut up.” Touching his cheek, she leaned close and took the plunge. Her lips brushed against his before she finally kissed him. Though he was surprised by her sudden action, he returned the kiss and placed his arms around her. Her lips were softer than he’d imagined they were from the fleeting ghosts of kisses they’d shared before. The sensation made him tingle, like an electrical current flowing through him. Reaching behind her he tugged the ponytail out of her hair so it wouldn’t be held in place anymore.

Instantly Scarlett pulled from his lips and looked at him in surprise. “Seriously?” She scoffed as Tony nodded his head tossed the hair tie over his shoulder so she couldn’t retrieve it. Chuckling, she was about to return to his lips when there was a knock on the door. Tony grumbled and leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. Finally, he’d gotten to kiss her and now someone was interrupting them again. At least he’d finally made progress on the matter.

Scarlett, on the other hand, felt torn. She was hoping that after she’d finally kissed him and released the pent up tension they’d been building she’d be able to weed her way through it. But instead, the kiss had left her more confused than before. All she _wanted_ to do was to keep kissing him and holding him but things kept getting in the way. Her mind was quickly wandering to less than innocent places. How was she supposed to find the truth when her hormones insisted upon taking the reins?

“Someone called for a doctor?” Pepper’s voice was on the other side of the door. Tony pulled away reluctantly. Scarlett expected him to make some sort of smart ass remark about how he’d known she’d wanted him all along but instead he stared at her for a moment, longingly. It seemed that he wanted to kiss her again, just as badly as she wanted him to. Why had he hesitated about something that felt so damn good? It was clearly something they both wanted. If it had been any other time and any other woman he wouldn’t have cared if Pepper had walked in on them or anyone else for that matter. In fact, he’d always gotten a thrill out of being caught in some sick way. So what was it about Scarlett that was stopping him from ignoring Pepper?

“I’m keeping score to see just how many times that’s happened to us now.” Tony whispered after a moment of silence passed between them. He wanted to tell her how frustrated he was that every time he’d managed the nerve to get her close enough to make a move, he’d been thwarted. Finally, Scarlett had taken action and still, Pepper had managed to get there quickly enough to interrupt them before things had gotten further along. Before he could say more, Pepper’s voice came from the other side of the door a second time.

“Did you get hurt, Tony? Is everyone okay? Why would you call a doctor?” Her voice was both frustrated and filled with worry. Pepper opened the door without knocking, panic written all over her face. But when she saw the two of them soaked to the bone and standing near the gurney, Scarlett without her pants, her worry faded into confusion. “I’m not sure I want to ask but, what happened?” The doctor was standing behind her, looking as confused as she was. Tony had never given details as to why they’d needed a doctor just that one had been needed and was to be fetched. Tony had nearly forgotten that he’d called for one in the first place. Scarlett leaned closer to him and whispered.

“When did you call a doctor?”

“While you were writhing in pain on the floor downstairs.” Tony whispered in return.

“Ah, I can’t honestly say I remember much of that.”

“Writhing in pain? Who was writhing in pain?” Pepper made it a point to overhear what was said between them. “Tony, what did you do?”

“Why did I have to _do_ something? You can’t automatically assume everything is my fault.” Pepper gave him a knowing glance and he sighed. “Well this time it wasn’t my fault. And obviously we weren’t having sex like you assumed on the phone because _writhing in_ _pain_ is not the way I would choose to describe what I do. I like kink but that’s a little too much, even for me.” Tony would’ve continued to rant on but Pepper held up her hand to object. Scarlett was stifling a laugh. It was hard not to be amused by Tony’s interactions with his assistant. He had obviously started purposely busting her balls over the years.

“I don’t need to know that, Tony. What happened? Did one of you have a lab accident?”

“Scarlett had a bad reaction to something. I haven’t pinpointed what it is yet but if you want to collect her jeans from the shower, then I can work on figuring that out.” Tony finally explained, glancing back at Scarlett. The memory of her lips on his made him lean closer but he forced himself to turn away after he’d lingered for too long. “She needs you to help her get changed so don’t let her argue with you. The doctor can follow us home and he can look her over there to see how to treat this burn. I obviously haven’t been doing enough for her with just the chemical treatment. If you help her with that I’ll go get cleaned up next door. Unless you’d both like me to strip here and do it in front of you. I wouldn’t mind. A show for a show.” Tony teased, pulling playfully at the bottom of Scarlett’s shirt. She swatted his hands away, an act which she found herself doing more and more frequently.

“It’s bad enough that I’m not wearing pants anymore, Stark. Go get changed.” She shooed him away. If nothing else, she’d at least gathered her wits. Kissing Tony had been a split second decision that she’d jumped the gun for. It was something she’d been wanting and unable to resist. Now that it had past she was torn. The only way she could think to describe her longing was like her first taste of scotch. 

When she’d first picked up a glass of it in college, it was awful. The smell burned her nose and the taste was the most offensive thing she’d ever had in her life. But she drank the whole glass and poured a second one. It was the closest thing she could compare Tony too. Now she loved scotch and rarely drank anything else. The analogy worried her. The last man on the planet she wanted to be involved with was Tony Stark and yet _she’d_ kissed _him_ and while she knew how bad it was for her to have done so, she wanted to kiss him again and she wanted far more than that.

“Fine, fine… I’ll go next door. Come get me when she’s done, Pepper. I’ll help her out of here. Is Happy upstairs?” Tony started toward the door after taking his clothing from Pepper.

“Yes, he’s waiting out front with one of the Audis.” Pepper nodded her head, still feeling confused. She hadn’t received a proper explanation as to what had happened.

“Good, don’t take too long or I’ll start making up stories about what you’re doing with your extra time. I’ll send it in to penthouse forum. You know I will.” Tony threatened, pointing at the two women before guiding the doctor out of the room so he could get changed. While he was back to joking and being himself, Tony’s mind was working in overdrive. Had Scarlett kissed him because she was scared and vulnerable? Maybe she’d been worried she wouldn’t get another chance at it.

Either way, it’d felt wonderful and he wanted more. The hesitation he’d felt was gone. Even if she rejected him a thousand times he wouldn’t stop until he got the answer he wanted from her. Now that she’d been the one to initiate contact he knew it was what she wanted, even if she argued against it. She was worth the extra effort he’d put into chasing her.

“So, since Tony didn’t really answer me, what happened?” Pepper asked after Tony had shut the door. Walking over to where she sat on the gurney, Pepper set the bag with the remaining clothes down next to her. Scarlett was more than capable of getting herself changed and was grateful to see that Pepper had brought her a comfortable dress to change into. Skirts were nice, but dresses were less constricting around her waist and that was what she needed after what she’d been through. Clearly, Pepper trusted her to get changed on her own since she made no effort to actually assist her in the process. Once she’d gotten changed she took a ginger step off of the gurney with Pepper’s help.

“It’s exactly what Tony said. I had a bad reaction. I’m not sure what caused it but my leg started smoldering. It’s a little better now but shaky.” Scarlett glanced back at the shower where she’d practically cowered in a curled up ball. Even though it had only been a half an hour ago she felt like an eternity had passed since then.

“Was it that bad?” Pepper still felt confused, despite the explanation.

“Yeah, it was like a bad chemical reaction. When we couldn’t figure it out, he dragged me into the shower to get it to stop. I was pretty useless when it came to helping actually. I probably hindered the process a little, to be honest.” Scarlett felt guilt in the pit of her stomach again. Not guilt for lying, but this time for not being able to protect herself. She’d never liked to be the beast of burden and there she’d been, curled up and cowering like some damsel in distress. She wouldn’t let it happen again.

“Are you okay?” Pepper watched her for a long moment. Scarlett seemed forlorn. The cool confident woman she’d finally started to take a shine to had disappeared.

“I’m fine. Let’s go meet up with Tony before he really does make up stories.” Scarlett took each step slowly and retrieved her soaking wet jeans from the floor of the shower, which she placed in the bag Pepper had brought their clothing in. Scarlett was grateful that Pepper had trusted her to walk and hadn’t insisted on getting Tony. She admired that about her. Tony gave her orders all the time, but she completed tasks in her own way. “But, I’ll be honest, I’m more than grateful a doctor is finally going to handle my wounds.”

“You and me both.”


	18. Behind the Curtain

Pepper scolded Tony for his behavior over the duration of the ride home once she’d learned the details of what had happened while they’d been working. Having grown weary of the circular argument between the billionaire and his assistant, Scarlett had eventually closed her eyes, started to ignore them and drifted to sleep. Several times on the ride, she’d woken up with Scott’s accusing stare lingering in her mind’s eye, but the remnants of whatever nightmare she’d had in her sleep were too fleeting to recall. 

The drive to Tony’s Malibu home seemed far longer than the drive to the facility had been only a few hours prior. Between her far too short moments of rest, Scarlett overheard Pepper and Tony talking about her and the predicament she’d forced them into. None of what had been said really stuck in her mind past the groggy feeling of sleep despite how she’s tried to listen in during the moments she’d been conscious. Unfortunately, the shock and pain she’d experienced from whatever chemical reaction she’d gone through had been too much for her psyche and her mind had shut down, forcing her to continue trying to rest.

At some point she must have managed to fall asleep fitfully because the sound of someone clearing their throat aroused her from slumber sometime later. Throbbing pain in her sinuses clouding her mind, Scarlett shifted and felt her cheek brush against something warm, her skin having been slightly stuck to something from having fallen asleep against it. Blinking her eyes, she caught the blue light of Tony’s reactor through his tank top in her blurred vision. Her eyes followed the light down his chest and stomach until she saw that he was fiddling with his phone with his left hand. Having realized she must have fallen asleep on his shoulder, Scarlett instantly sat up straight, wiped her chin and moved away from Tony.

“You know, I never was much for cuddling, but I could get used to it for you.” Tony didn’t look away from his phone, but a smile played on his lips as he spoke. Blinking her eyes, Scarlett tried to focus but she felt muddled and unsteady.

“I _don’t_ cuddle.” Scarlett responded, her voice softer and weaker than she’d intended it to be. Having never experienced the side effects of going into shock before, she had determined the experience to be horrible and hoped it would be something she would never have to deal with in the future. Once was more than enough in her opinion.

“ _Really?_ ” Tony slipped his slender phone into his pocket and rotated the shoulder Scarlett had been leaning on. “I can’t imagine that I’m the most comfortable pillow out there and it _felt_ like cuddling. But, since I’m so clearly wrong what was it then? Enlighten me.”

“I’m really not in the mood to argue with you over something so trivial, Stark.” Scarlett reached to open the door of the car to avoid further confrontation on the matter only to find that the door was already open for her. She could hear Pepper somewhere in the distance speaking with someone whose voice she couldn’t recognize, but about what she could only guess. Leaning her head in her hands, Scarlett furrowed her brow and tried to clear her thoughts to no avail. The lingering fog of sleep hovered over her like a vale

“It’s fine. I’m flattered that you sought comfort in me, of all people. Really, Tony Stark and comfort are _not_ synonymous. Pleasure? Yes. Comfort? Not so much.” When Scarlett ignored his joke and kept her head in her hands, Tony tapped her shoulder to try and get her attention. “Are you alright?” He could tell she was still out of it and struggling to regain her wits, so he resisted making the many jokes that popped into his mind. He’d have to save them for a later time. It was difficult to resist his inner urges and to suppress them since he usually spoke before thinking in these situations, but Pepper had made it clear on the ride over that he was to lay off until Scarlett had gotten a proper night’s rest and an all clear from the doctor. At first he’d disagreed and argued against such an agreement, but after he’d been left to think about it and his thoughts returned to the horrors he’d witnessed while they’d attempted to work, he’d decided it was for the best.

“You don’t have to pretend you’re concerned, I’m doing just _fine._ ” Yawning, Scarlett slowly started out of the car, this time being wary of her burn. Her thigh was throbbing as a reminder of what she’d experienced and just how poorly another fall might affect her.

“Hold on.” Tony grabbed her shoulder to stop her from scooting away. Slumping her shoulders and sighing in annoyance. Scarlett turned to face him, prepared to reassure him that she was alright, but was startled when Tony suddenly started to crawl from his side of the car to push his way next to her, over her and out through the door on her side of the car.

“Stark, _what_ are you doing?” It was impossible not to laugh because of how ridiculous a sight it was to watch Tony Stark attempt to climb out of the car without knocking her out in the process. “Why didn’t you just get out on _your_ side? Do you have any idea how asinine you look right now?”

“I guess I could’ve done that _but_ I’m already here now and committed to getting out on this side. It’d be a waste of effort if I gave up now. Starks are a lot of things, but we aren’t quitters!” Tony was glad to see her smiling, even if he didn’t plan on letting her know that. Despite how playful they were now that they’d found their balance, he was beginning to realize the extent of the darkness within Scarlett. He worried that if she dwelled on it for too long, she’d quickly become consumed. Scarlett squirmed around, trying to move out of his way, or push past him to get out; neither seemed like it would help the now confusing situation. “Could you just sit still for ten seconds so I can get past you?” Tony tried to maneuver his leg around her without hitting her, but was finding it harder to accomplish than he had initially anticipated it would be. Scarlett continued to wiggle and try to get out of his way.

“You are one step away from grinding against my leg, Stark!” Laughing, Scarlett tried to push him away and back into his spot. Then she grabbed his shoulders to get him to stop shoving her back. One leg over her and one arm behind her on the seat of the car, the other outside of the car on the top of the door, Tony looked at her skeptically but amusement sparkled in his brown eyes.

“You would _know_ if I was grinding against you. There would be no mistaking it for anything else. You can trust me on that, Miss Damien.” With a smirk playing on his lips, he leaned closer to her, doing his best to look provocative which wasn’t a very hard task considering.

“Oh, is that so? Now tell me, is that a threat or a promise, Stark? This one needs some clarification. You’re so damn _catty_ all the time, how’s a girl supposed to tell the difference?” Scarlett was slowly gaining her edge back the longer she was awake. The fog in her mind was lifting, though her defenses were telling her to go back to sleep.

“We can find out if you let me past those defenses for more than ten seconds.” Readjusting himself, Tony placed both hands on either side of Scarlett on the seat behind her and made a kissy face. His eyes were sparkling playfully but he made no actual attempt to kiss her and was clearly playing.

“Cut it out, you.” Scarlett shoved her hand against his lips and pushed him back, inadvertently giving herself the chills as her palm brushed against his perfectly manicured goatee. Grabbing onto the frame of the car overhead Tony continued to make ridiculous kissing noises against her palm in an attempt to make her laugh. When she didn’t relinquish he hashed his teeth against her palm and she yelped, pulling her hand back in surprise.

“Come on sexy lady, I need some… _stimulation_ before I can prove to you that was a promise, not a threat.”

“Why don’t I just flash you quickly? That sounds like it’d be much faster than this little game you’re playing.” Scarlett laughed, wiping her now slobbery palm on his arm.

“Oh, I like where this is going!” Tony tugged at the bottom of her shirt playfully.

“I was being _sarcastic_ , Stark. I thought you of all people could tell the difference.” Still sleepy and laughing, she pushed at Tony’s shoulder to get him to stop tugging on her and out of her personal space. Much to their surprise with this simple push, Tony stumbled and lost his precarious balance then fell out of the car onto his side, one leg still in the car, the other curled beneath him. Laughing and covering her mouth to try and stifle it she leaned against the frame of the car door and shook her head. Tony was blinking in surprise and looking at her astonished.

“You could’ve just told me no, you didn’t have to _attack_ me.” Tony pouted, slipping his leg out of the car. He stood up, dusted off his jeans and then offered Scarlett a hand to assist her out of the car.

“And you could’ve gotten out on the other side of the car like a normal person. It’s not my fault that your balance is awful. I barely touched you!” Scarlett hesitated to take the hand he was offering her. It wasn’t because she didn’t want him to help her but rather because she wasn’t sure she actually needed the assistance. She was sure she could walk on her own, but then again she’d been sure that she could handle the work she’d been doing earlier in the facility and that had gone all wrong.

“I could’ve, but I thought what I was doing was going to be easier.” Tony wasn’t relenting. After watching her struggle in his facility in the desert, he wanted to grant her as much help as he could.

“ _No_ , you were hoping you’d get to feel me up or grind against me.” Still considering his offer, Scarlett stared at his hand.

“I was hoping for both, so really, I wasn’t wrong _if_ that’s what I actually had in mind.” Tony wiggled his fingers to signal for her to take his hand. Once again, she ignored his attempts to help her, though she did slip both her legs out of the car. “Come on, I’m giving you another chance to cuddle with me since you _so_ enjoyed it before.”

“For the last time, I wasn’t _cuddling_ you. I just happened to fall asleep on your shoulder. It happens sometimes. It doesn’t mean that I want to cuddle with you or that we did.” Scarlett argued.

“We’ve been sitting in the car for fifteen minutes because I didn’t want to wake you up. My fingers were falling asleep because you were leaning so heavily against me. If that’s not cuddling, I don’t know what is.” Tony moved his hand away, tired of holding it out to her.

“You’re being incredibly dramatic, not that this surprises me by now.” Scarlett placed a hand on the door and got to her feet at last, keeping her weight off of her injured leg entirely. At least she was getting used to overcompensating for how useless it’d become.

“I’m not being dramatic. You kept tossing and turning the entire ride back and then you planted your head on my shoulder and didn’t move for the rest of the ride.” Tony watched her carefully, observing the way she treated her leg in case she needed him to help her since she was clearly against him doing so for whatever reason. He guessed that she had grown used to being independent. Or maybe she was uncomfortable with him holding onto her, not that he could blame her considering what seemed to happen between them when they were close.

“That doesn’t mean we were cuddling Stark. It means that I had found something to support my head properly so I could rest.” What comfort had she found in Tony? Had she really only stopped tossing and turning once she’d been leaning against him?

“I saw you smile in your sleep. There’s no need to be embarrassed about it!” Tony teased, following her closely as she walked across the lab. “Though I’m not sure how I feel about being a glorified pillow.”

“Stark, will you cut it out? I’m clearly not in the mood.” Her body was drained and exhausted. While her leg wasn’t as sore as it had been earlier, she felt unsure of its strength.

“If you call me Tony, I will cut it out. And for the record, if you weren’t in the mood, you’d stop playing with me.” Tony caught up to her and walked next to her, pointing an accusing finger at her. Scarlett sighed in annoyance. “Oh come on, that’s my name and you keep calling me Stark! Even after you…” Tony pursed his lips and stopped talking as she turned to face him and held up a finger in annoyance. 

Her heart was racing again, but no longer out of panic. Had she actually sought comfort on his shoulder in her sleep? Was it silly of her to think that perhaps it had been the reason her nightmares had finally ceased? Of _course_ it was silly. She was finally just exhausted enough to get some rest without nightmares seeping into her every thought. It was only a coincidence that she’d chosen to rest her head on Tony at that particular moment.

“You’re not going to call me Tony are you?” Moistening his lower lip, he pouted.

“No, I’m not.” Stopping walking, she took a deep breath and tugged the bottom of her skirt up to make sure the wound wasn’t seeping through or smoldering the way it had been earlier. The panic attack she’d had was causing her to become paranoid. She was going to go above and beyond to prevent that from happening a second time.

“Why not? It’s not fair.” Tony whined and pouted much like a child who hadn’t gotten his way.

“Would you help me?” Scarlett could feel her leg trembling beneath her as she walked and decided to use it to change the subject.

“I was _trying_ to help you before remember? But you just ignored me and knocked me out of the car because you’re a sadist.”

“I didn’t knock you out of the car, it’s not my fault that you can’t keep your balance.”

“You knocked me out of the car because you were afraid of how you’d react if I actually did what I’d intended to do. Either that or you really _are_ a sadist since you didn’t exactly deny it just now.”

“You should feel lucky that it didn’t come to what you’d wanted, Stark. And I’m not even dignifying that with a response.” Scarlett shook her head. Despite her discomfort, she was learning to handle Tony relatively well. His quips and sexual innuendos no longer came as a surprise. She’d even grown to enjoy it. Unfortunately she was still weak and tired and knew that the longer he harassed her, the more exhausting the effort of dealing with him would become. She needed rest more than anything but even the act of sleeping seemed daunting. Would she be plagued with more nightmares? Or would her subconscious finally allow her to have some peace and quiet?

“I thought we were past that, Scarlett.” Tired of watching her struggle and contemplate her next move, Tony reached around her and lifted her into his arms, much to her surprise.

“I asked for some help not for you to carry me!” Scarlett immediately tried to squirm out of his arms.

“I _am_ helping.” Chuckling, Tony started through the lab. “Will you quit squirming?”

“You really have no sense of personal space do you?” Realizing that if she didn’t stop squirming, she might fall onto the ground and hurt her leg further, Scarlett finally stopped trying to escape. She’d never admit it, but it was nice to be held and cared for by someone else. 

“On the contrary, I have no sense of _other_ people’s personal space. My own, is something that I’m very aware of.” Tony was pleased when she stopped her fighting.

“I can walk on my own, Stark. I just needed a hand in case I fell, not both your hands grabbing my ass.” Despite her objections to his assistance, Scarlett was smiling. She hadn’t realized it until he’d already seen it but still tried to keep a straight face regardless.

“I don’t do anything half-assed and that includes helping a pretty lady.”

“I’m not saying that you have to do a half-assed job, I’m just saying that I am perfectly capable of walking!” Scarlett laughed in disbelief. Her heart was still racing with her thoughts. Being around Tony constantly wasn’t helping with her confused feelings for him. There was barely any time to consider how she felt without him practically on top of her. Tony stopped walking near the doorway of his lab, in front of the steps that would lead to the main level of his home. Pepper’s voice was louder now in the living room, speaking with another voice that Scarlett didn’t recognize. The voices were still too faint to make out the words being exchanged. Turning her attention back to Tony, she sighed heavily and was about to make another sassy retort when she caught him staring at her pleadingly. Something about his gaze made her choke on her words and forget what she’d planned to say.

“Just give me this one thing, okay?” Something had felt off since she’d woken up. Why had he let her rest in the car on his shoulder for so long? He could’ve simply shoved her off of him and gotten out of the car to continue on with something far more entertaining. But no, he’d let her get some rest until she’d woken up on her own. At first, she’d thought he’d been what had interrupted her slumber, but he’d likely been just trying to get comfortable. The more she considered the situation, the more she discovered was off about it. 

Instead of being the selfish ass she’d expected him to be, Tony had gone out of his way to get out of the car before her so that he could prevent her from falling again. That was what she at least guessed he’d been trying to accomplish by his ridiculous attempts of crawling out of the car. Then he’d watched her every step and when she’d finally asked for help he’d jumped to her aid. She hadn’t noticed it initially, but the strangeness about Tony that she’d noticed when she’d woken up was _worry_. He was legitimately _worried_ that something would happen to her again that he couldn’t prevent.

“Oh, I see what you’re up to.” Scarlett pointed an accusing finger but stopped objecting to him carrying her up the stairs. The truth was that she needed to stay off of her leg for a little bit and allow it to recover from the ordeal it’d gone through.

“I’m not up to anything.” Tony smiled, but even that was subdued. His oddly colored brown eyes were filled with far more than what he was letting on. He’d never seen anyone go into shock before and he’d witnessed a lot of terrifying things in his life before meeting her. The strong woman he’d become used to arguing with had crumbled out of his control in front of him and he’d been powerless to do anything about it. If there was one thing Tony hated more than being bored, it was being powerless. While Pepper had advised him against giving her a hard time and had even tried to convince him to bring her to a hospital, Tony couldn’t bring himself to let her out of his sight. On top of that, he wasn’t sure _how_ to stop harassing her. It was just the way they interacted so this was as subdued as he was planning on getting.

Something inside of him had become attached to her without meaning to. All he’d wanted from her when she’d first woken up was for her to give him a lead on MedCo so he could send her on her way and he could continue putting a stop to the misuse of his weapons. Instead she’d been stubborn and feisty. Instead, she’d been likable and entertaining. He’d grown attached and Tony was beginning to think the information he’d initially fought for wasn’t as important as what he’d ended up getting from her instead.

“I still think you like me _far_ too much.” Scarlett looked away from him but smiled. The more she grew to like him, the harder it was for her to handle his eyes boring into her.

“What’s not to like?” Tony started up the stairs finally, realizing she wasn’t going to tease him for his actions which surprised him. He stopped walking, lost his balance and nearly stumbled down the stairs when she laid her head down on his shoulder just as she had been doing in the car.

“Whoa, be careful there wild stallion.” Scarlett closed her eyes and trusted him not to drop her. If she hadn’t been so exhausted she likely would’ve fought tooth and nail about being carried, but she had to admit how comforting it was to be held and taken care of. When she’d gotten in over her head with Scott, he’d never comforted her or cared for her. The more she thought about it the more she’d realized how alone she’d been for her whole life. Now that she was stuck with Tony, she’d started to dislike the notion of being alone again. It felt nice to know that if she fell he’d be there to catch her. She knew the notion of no longer being alone was dangerous, but her mind was so exhausted that she didn’t care.

Tony whinnied playfully and then regained his balance as he started up the stairs again. After a moment of silence between them he couldn’t help but smile.

“I think you like me just as much.” He whispered and before she got the chance to respond, they were approached by Pepper.

“Oh good, she’s awake.” Pepper was smiling politely. The man she’d been talking to was the doctor that had met them in the basement of the facility only an hour or so beforehand. “ _And_ she let you carry her. Wow, I’m so proud that the two of you learned how to compromise.”

“There was no compromise actually. I asked for a little help walking and Stark jumped the gun and picked me up rather than trying to let me walk on my own which I am _perfectly_ capable of doing.”

“I didn’t jump the gun, I’m helping out. You asked for my help, isn’t that what I’m doing? You didn’t specify what you needed me to do.” Tony couldn’t help but give her leg a squeeze, after making sure he had his hand nowhere near her wound.

“I asked for _help_ and I did not imply that I was completely useless. You just assumed it meant you got to carry me.” Scarlett’s leg twitched and she swatted lazily at his shoulder in objection, but this only pleased him further.

“I’m being a _hero_. This is _heroic._ It’s all part of what I do. Don’t worry, you can thank me for it later.” There was something about arguing with her, or getting her to object to him that got him off.

“You’re an ass.” Scarlett shook her head in dismay before turning her attention to Pepper. Before she could speak, Tony interrupted.

“And you have a very nice ass. Are we stating the obvious here? Because I could go on.” Tony argued without batting an eye.

“I take it back. I’m not proud of either of you at all. I think you might be just as bad as he is, Scarlett.” Pepper shook her head in dismay. Before either of them could respond, Pepper spoke over her boss. “Tony, I’ve been showing the doctor the photos of the wound that you first took when you brought Scarlett here from Africa, but I don’t have any to compare it to of its current condition.” Pepper nodded toward the stairs that led to the second floor behind the water sculpture at the far end of the room. “We should bring her upstairs so she can rest her leg while he takes a proper look at it.”

“It’s a chemical burn, doc. I’ve got all the information written down if you want to know what I’ve been administering. It’s a cocktail of my own making.” Tony puffed out his chest, proud of the work he’d done despite how catastrophic Scarlett’s wound had become in the last few hours.

“You’re really going to still be cocky about that after my burn made my pants catch on fire? Literally. I nearly burst into flames, Stark.” Scarlett picked her head up off of his shoulder so she could see his reaction.

“Shh, you’re supposed to be resting Scarlett. Don’t waste your _precious_ energy.” Tony gave her side a squeeze as he started to carry her up the stairs to the second floor and shrugged his shoulders to try and urge her head back down. “Follow me. You’re right Pepper. She should get some rest. She kept falling asleep on me in the car and we’re not going to get anything else done today anyway. I don’t think I’d be able to concentrate without being paranoid that she’d, as she so artfully put it, burst into flames again.”

“Right this way, if you don’t mind.” Pepper whispered to the doctor, following Tony’s lead and starting up the stairs. “Please, don’t mind him, that’s just how he is. We really do appreciate your help.”

“Pepper does, I’m not sure if I do yet. See, I like to value my level of appreciation on the level of skill rather than just your title. So if you do a good job helping the ravishing woman in my arms, I’ll appreciate your help and if not then you’re likely going to have a pretty bad day.” Tony waited for Jarvis to open the door to the guest room and then gingerly placed Scarlett down on the bed at the far end.

“Is it _really_ the appropriate time for flattery? You’ve given me about… twelve compliments since I woke up.” Scarlett leaned back on the pillow gratefully. Despite her objections to Tony’s behavior, she was exhausted and glad to be back in bed.

“I’m being charming, I’m sorry if it’s too much for you. You don’t _have_ to keep your panties on if that’s the case.”

“You _think_ that you’re being charming when in reality you’re just kind of a pig.” Scarlett carefully readjusted her bad leg.

“I’m very charming. You just haven’t realized it yet.” Tony brushed her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear as he’d grown fond of doing. “She thinks I’m charming.” Tony turned to the doctor and Pepper, just to make sure they heard what had transpired.

“I’m not so sure she does, Tony.” Pepper shook her head in disapproval.

“So, does everyone really have to be here for this thing with the doctor? I’m not really fond of being stared at like I’m some lab rat.” Scarlett readjusted herself, having a tough time getting comfortable, and then allowed the doctor to sit next to her on the edge of the bed. It was remarkable that the man was able to ignore Tony’s ridiculous antics and still manage to do his work. “Careful, it’s tender.” Wincing, she helped the man pull the bottom of her dress out of the way of her burn and watched him slowly pull the gauze away.

“Yes, we all have to be here.” Tony tugged Pepper’s wrist to keep her from walking out of the room when she attempted to give Scarlett some privacy.

“She’s right Tony we don’t need to be here. Besides, you should go get your notes on her wound for the doctor.” Pepper gave Scarlett an apologetic look then watched as Tony walked around her and behind the doctor, examining her leg from a distance.

“It already looks better than it did earlier.” Tony leaned around the doctor and eyed her leg.

“Will you stop ogling me?” Scarlett felt her leg twitch, anticipating the pain she might feel from an examination.

“Didn’t everyone in this room already see you without any pants on? I’m not ogling you, this is… this is strictly professional.” Tony tilted his head to the side, let his mouth hang partially open for a moment as he obviously did more than admire her in a professional manner then he cleared his throat and turned his attention back to her burn.

“Why am I still surprised by this?” Scarlett looked over to Pepper in hopes of finding an answer.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m still surprised by it. Tony! The woman has been through enough without you demeaning her in front of the doctor trying to help her.” Pepper had seen the worry in Tony’s eyes during the ride back to his home and was surprised he’d switched gears so quickly. She was guessing that he was overcompensating now that the situation was less dire.

“I’m not _demeaning_ her. It’s a compliment! I find her attractive and I’m letting her know it, doctor, what’s your opinion? Lovely right? Shouldn’t she know it? Someone should enjoy this! Why is it demeaning if I enjoy what she has to offer, huh?” Tony didn’t let Pepper finish her sentence before he’d started rattling off the many reasons why his behavior was excused.

“It’s demeaning,” Pepper began but was interrupted by Scarlett.

“Don’t worry about it, Pepper. Let’s just enjoy his incredibly round ass and see how he feels about it when we ignore what he’s saying and just stare at him like he’s some sex toy.” Scarlett wasn’t surprised when Pepper was left speechless by her suggestion.

“Go ahead!” Tony turned around and placed his hands on the back of his head. “Enjoy! Compliment me. I know how to enjoy flattery, thank you.” Smirking, Tony figured that he had the upper hand in this situation. He’d spent the majority of the last two decades showing off and becoming an international sex symbol.

“I hate to interrupt… whatever this is but I’ve made my assessment if you’re interested.” The doctor cleared his throat and stood up. Tony turned back around, stopped his incessant flexing and paid attention to what the doctor was doing.

“Is she going to be alright?” Tony’s playfulness faded.

“Yes, she’ll be just fine.” Despite his statement, the doctor didn’t smile.

“Then why do you look so grim?” Pepper frowned, walking around to sit on the edge of the bed near Scarlett’s feet.

“Whatever chemical you were burned with has penetrated through your first layer of skin. While I’m sure that the neutralizing agent Mr. Stark was using has been effective on the top layer, it hasn’t permeated deep enough to truly rid you of what’s causing you pain.”

“Would an injection be better suited to do so?” Tony’s brow furrowed with worry. He knew what the doctor was trying to say without him actually saying it. Without having meant to, Tony had left the harmful chemical on her body and had let it continue to burn her further over time which would explain why it had such a severe reaction when they’d been working. The string of curse words in Tony’s mind muddled out the next few words the doctor spoke.

“No, and injection wouldn’t do it. The toxin wouldn’t reach the blood stream quite yet. Thankfully, it looks like most of it has been eradicated by whatever neutralizing agent you were using.” The doctor smiled hopefully at Tony. Pepper immediately stood up, moved to her boss’ side and touched his arm carefully. She’d known Tony for years and could read him like a book. Clearly he was blaming himself for not having listened to the advice of the people in his life and having neglected to call a doctor.

“So what can we do to fix this if not an injection?” Scarlett turned her attention back to the doctor.

“I’ll have to remove the offending agent.” The doctor was skating around saying what he’d actually have to do.

“Which is beneath my first layer of skin.” Scarlett knew what he’d been implying, but hated when people avoided saying what they actually meant. While it may have been hypocritical for her to feel this way, she felt it nonetheless. “You’re going to have to cut at me, hmm? How badly do you think it will scar?”

“Oh, no… not cut. You see your skin is already so fragile and destroyed that I will be able to peel it away. Unfortunately due to the nature of the burn, being chemical, I’m unsure of what pain killers might worsen your condition. I’m going to recommend that it be done without.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Pepper immediately objected, turning to look at Tony. “We should bring her to a hospital. They can take care of her there and make sure she doesn’t feel any of it.”

“I don’t need to go to a hospital.” Scarlett sighed heavily, partially frustrated that Pepper was looking to Tony to make decisions for _her_ health. “That’s fine, doctor, do whatever you need to.”

“Scarlett, you _can’t_ be serious!” Pepper looked to Tony in hopes that he would back her up but he said nothing.

“I think that it’s time Scarlett was the one to decide how her leg is handled.” Tony nodded resolutely. Scarlett hadn’t expected him to feel that way. She’d expected him to jump at the chance to be her knight in shining armor again but instead he’d backed down. “I don’t like your plan, but what I thought was best for her ended up causing more damage so… I don’t think I’m qualified to make the decision here.” Clearing his throat, Tony walked to the opposite end of the bed and fiddled with some of the miscellaneous perfume bottles and makeup items that had been provided more recently on the dresser across the room. “Though, if it _were_ me, I’d see if there was a way that we could test a painkiller against the chemical to see which would cause a reaction and which would help dull the pain.”

“Once the chemical is gone entirely I can administer narcotics but until then I am going to advise against it as would any doctor you go to.” The man pushed his glasses further up his nose then turned his attention back to Scarlett. “The sooner we do this the sooner you can heal. You will scar but if you take care of yourself, and judging by the look of you I’m guessing you do, then it will be minimal. After I’m sure the chemical is gone entirely, I can give you some pain medicine and prescribe you enough to last until you’re healed up. I will also prescribe a cream that will help minimize scarring.”

“Doctor, you’ve got a deal. Get yourself prepared.” Scarlett nodded her head, ignoring Pepper’s continued objections in the background.

“If you don’t mind, I have to put in a few calls and get some supplies. I won’t be very long.” The doctor bowed his head and excused himself. Pepper thanked him for his work and advice and then immediately turned back to Scarlett and Tony.

“No, you can’t let her do this, Tony. This is _insane_. You’re _both_ insane! How did you find another person in the world as insane as you, Tony?” Pepper was outraged, her face turning pink beneath her freckles. The usually calm business woman was clearly flustered that her input had no sway.

“Pepper, you need to give us a minute alone okay?” Tony cleared his throat and then nodded to the door when Pepper didn’t make a move to leave.

“You’re both out of your minds.” Pepper threw her hands up in frustration then left the room, slamming the door behind her. After she’d gone, Tony got up from where he sat on the edge of the bed. Running his hands through his messy hair, he contemplated what to say, narrowing his eyes and clearly practicing in his head what he wanted to say to Scarlett.

“Before you tell me not to do it, can you give me a good reason not to? Stark, it’s just skin and it’s destroyed anyway. Look at it.” Scarlett nodded to the sore looking skin on her leg. “It’s doing nothing but harm and if he’s going to cut it away it can’t hurt any worse than what I’ve already been through today.”

“What if it does?” Tony sat next to her on the bed and placed his hand on her knee beneath the burn, brushing his thumb carefully against her skin. “What if it hurts a lot worse than it did before?”

“Stark, it’s _almost_ sweet that you’re worried about me but I’ll be fine. I’ve been through much worse than this on my own. I don’t know why I panicked like that back there when we were working. I don’t know how that got such a terrible hold on me but I know what I’m doing. This is the right thing. You’ve done a really good job with my leg up until this point but now this is what we need to do… what _I_ need to do.” Scarlett soothed him, unsure of why she cared how he was feeling. The puzzle pieces of her emotions were starting to fit together but the big picture was still obscured.

“I’m not being _sweet_ … I just don’t want you to hurt anymore.”

“Which is sweet whether you like it or not.”

“It isn’t! It’s my fault that you’re still stuck like this and if I’d let you go to a real doctor in the first place instead of just assuming I can fix everything, which I usually can so you can’t blame me for assuming, then this wouldn’t be happening and you wouldn’t be in so much pain.” Without outright saying it, Tony was expressing his guilt for what he felt like he’d done. “You’ve been in enough pain. I could bring you to the hospital and we could run some tests and find out if you could use painkillers. They could likely even knock you out so you wouldn’t feel a thing.”

“That would just be a colossal waste of time. This guy knows what he’s talking about and honestly that skin is going to flake off anyway. I’m going to have a scar and it’s of my own making, not yours.” Placing her hand over his comfortingly, she offered him a smile. “Please, let me get this over with? Then get some sleep because… dealing with you is exhausting.” Hoping to lighten the mood a bit she squeezed his hand then after she was sure she’d been reassuring enough she pried it off and set it on the bed. “Now stop groping me.”

“You’re sure about this?” Tony didn’t feel any relief from her words. Guilt invaded his thoughts. No matter how many times he tried to do good, his plans always backfired in his face. Even him trying to save one person had caused more harm than good.

“About the groping? Yes I’m very sure.” Scarlett nodded her head. Tony sighed heavily then placed his hand back on her leg.

“That’s too bad.” That mischievous smirk returned to his lips and he gave her leg a playful squeeze, then brushed the back of his fingers against her skin. Laughing under her breath she was relieved to see him acting normally. Even if he wasn’t truly feeling comforted by his words, she was glad to see him trying. 

But then there was that tension again building, the same kind that she’d felt so many times when she’d gotten to be alone with him. It lingered there in the room with them until it became overwhelming between them each time. She’d hoped that kissing him once would help her handle it better, but now she only wanted to give into her urges and renew the feeling kissing him had brought her.

“Really? You’re going straight from that to feeling me up? Is that where we are now?” Scarlett teased, but her leg was twitching with discomfort.

“Why don’t _you_ tell me where we are now?” Tony smirked, moving his hand onto her good leg and leaning closer to her. He’d never had tension before quite like this, maybe that was what made things so intriguing. Tension had always been what he’d been good at. Women, even men sometimes would come near him and he could build a sexual fire between them so quickly that no one could resist. But Scarlett was different. The tension built itself and naturally and to a point where neither one of them could resist. Tony had always been in control of his sexual appetites while others fell prey to them. Even now, there was a tug that kept him leaning closer to her. Eventually the overwhelming urge to kiss her would take over his senses entirely and he’d be forced into action.

Scarlett turned her gaze away and instead looked down at his hand on her leg, shaking her head in dismay. There was no way she was going to make an advance on Tony Stark twice in one day. She’d gotten herself in enough emotional turmoil for one afternoon, so she’d leave it at that. Preparing to find an excuse to get him to move away from her, she audibly gasped when Tony acted. Grabbing onto her chin, Tony forced her to look up at him. Before he could kiss her as he intended to, a knock on the door interrupted them. Cursing again, he let go of Scarlett and stood up from where he’d been resting.

“Pepper, there was a reason I kicked you out.” Tony walked over to the door and then sighed heavily when he realized she’d brought the doctor back to the room to begin the proper cleaning of her leg. Stepping aside, he couldn’t help but glare at Pepper. It was as though she had some divine knowledge of when he was finally getting closer to what he so desired to have with Scarlett and was interrupting him on purpose. “That’s four now. I’m onto you.” He whispered when Pepper walked past him, looking utterly bewildered.

The doctor walked past them to where Scarlett was laying on the bed. After checking her vitals he turned to the others and took a deep breath, contemplating how to approach what needed to be done.

“This is going to be… a rather delicate situation. If you would wait downstairs I think that would be best.” The doctor turned back toward Scarlett. He was obviously worried that they would try to stop him if the pain became too great for her to deal with.

“He’s right, Tony. If she’s going through with this then we shouldn’t be in the same room.” Pepper whispered, grabbing Tony’s arm and starting to urge him toward the door.

“…I can’t stay?” Tony glanced over at the doctor then to Scarlett. If there was any hint of fear or upset on her face, he’d stay and the doctor could get over it. Much to his surprise, her face had turned cold and she was avoiding looking at anyone in the room. Was she hardening herself to what she was about to face?

“I’m afraid you can’t.” Tony nodded his head then started toward the door. “Jarvis, help the guy out and monitor her vitals. Let me know when they’re done or if I’m needed.” Turning away without another thought, Tony hurried downstairs and into the living room.

“Tony, are you okay?” Pepper hurried behind him, trying to keep up the best she could.

“I’m fine.” Glancing back toward the room upstairs, Tony expected to hear screams of pain and anguish but when none came he sat down on the couch, exhausted.

“You’re _not_ fine. No one could be fine after what you went through today.” Pepper sat down next to him, approaching the topic nervously. “Even if you didn’t care…”

“Caring? Who said this was about that? No… I feel responsible. I promised to take care of her after I got her here and instead of handing her over to more than capable hands at the hospital I brought her here and made her suffer.” Tony did his best to sound like he wasn’t bothered, but if anyone could see through him it was Pepper Potts.

“Unintentionally, Tony. She could’ve left at anytime.” Sitting down on the loveseat, Pepper folded her hands in her lap to keep them from nervously fidgeting.

“That’s not true Potts. You were right. I was holding her prisoner here, essentially. And where is she supposed to go now? She has no papers, no money, nothing… I didn’t think when I grabbed her.” Tony made himself busy with his phone, though there was very little for him to do on it other than browse through uninteresting emails.

“You don’t know that Tony, I’m sure she has a way to get to her things. But we can’t help her if she doesn’t let us. She doesn’t blame you.” Pepper didn’t want to see Tony wallow in blame and guilt.

“What makes you so sure of that?” Tony put down his phone and stared seriously at his assistant.

“Because she _wants_ to be here, I can tell.” Smiling, Pepper got up and sat down next to Tony on the main couch.

“And what makes you such an expert?”

“I’m a woman Tony and as hardened as Scarlett seems to be… she’s not as hard as she thinks she is. I think that scares her.” Pepper smiled knowingly then glanced toward the stairs. When Tony didn’t respond, she continued. “I really expected to hear her reacting to some sort of pain…”

“I did too.” Tony grimaced with concern. He was worried about how she was stomaching what was surely incredibly severe pain. “Jarvis, I need a drink. Rum and coke today, okay?” The computer didn’t respond but instead relayed the order to someone who would mix the drink for Tony. “Make it two, Pepper needs one too.”

“Tony, I don’t drink rum…” Pepper laughed quietly under her breath.

“Who doesn’t drink rum?” Tony looked skeptical of such news.

“ _I_ don’t drink rum, I’ve never liked it.” Shaking her head, Pepper sighed and after the robot delivered the rum and coke to Tony, she continued on. “She’ll be okay. You didn’t do anything wrong by her.”

“I hope so.” Tony grimaced and took a sip of his rum and coke. “I wouldn’t want to be alone through that. I wish he would’ve let one of us stay.”

“Maybe she’s used to being alone.”

“No one should have to be alone.” Tony glanced knowingly at Pepper. “You taught me that.”

“Oh, you’re learning things from me now? I wasn’t sure you had learned anything after ordering me a rum and coke.” Pepper hoped to get Tony to smile and when he did she felt calmed.

“I listen to the important things.” Tony shrugged, aware of how his brain pushed out anything that he deemed boring. Right now, all he could think about was Scarlett upstairs in the room, alone and suffering while the doctor cut away the infected skin on her thigh. When that wasn’t running through his mind he was comparing it to how horrible it’d been to wake up alone with the magnet in his chest in the caves in Afghanistan. 

Then his thoughts came back to Scarlett’s lips and how they’d felt against his. For a moment he’d thought he’d felt lightning. The fleeting instances of conversation with Pepper continued on for awhile and soon an hour had passed. 

Tony had taken to pacing the floor and was about to have Jarvis check in on Scarlett and the doctor when he heard the door upstairs open. Hurrying to the foot of the staircase, he and Pepper waited for news from the doctor. Tony had half expected him to come downstairs covered in blood, but he was pristine and wore a smile on his face.

“I’ve given her an antibiotic to take for any infections that may have popped up while she was suffering from the chemical and from the incident earlier in the day. She told me that she woke up with an IV when she was first burned though she wouldn’t tell me how that happened, peculiarly…” The doctor drifted off and hoped that he would get more information but when none was given he continued. “I hooked her up to another of just fluids in hopes of flushing anything out of her system. That’s mostly precautionary.”

“Good, we’re not taking any more chances.” Pepper seemed thankful.

“Did it hurt much?” Tony folded his arms over his chest then quickly shifted to rub his hands over his jaw.

“Tony I don’t think we should ask that…” Pepper whispered.

“She was in a lot of pain but she didn’t bat an eye.” The doctor seemed perplexed. “I expected her to reconsider once she felt the pain but she didn’t.” Tony wondered what sort of an eye opener it was to hear that about Scarlett. What kind of terrors had she trained herself to endure when she’d been on dangerous missions? He hadn’t considered the dangers that her profession posed before and now that he had, he saw a completely different side of the woman he’d saved. If she could handle such terrible pain, then why had she panicked earlier in the day? Something had to have been different about what she had gone through, because he knew she couldn’t have faked the reaction she’d had.

“Can we see her?” Tony wanted to ask her a few things about what had happened earlier in the day.

“I wouldn’t bother her.” The doctor immediately held his hands up. “She was exhausted so I gave her a sedative… She mentioned something about not sleeping well when I asked if she was alright. She’s likely already passed out and you should let her sleep for as long as she needs to. The more rest she gets the better shape she will be in when she finally wakes up.” The doctor smiled. Tony held out his hand to shake.

“Send me a bill and I’ll send you a check. Thanks, doc.” Tony squeezed the doctor’s hand firmly and then glanced back toward the stairs. Pepper was handling the rest of the interactions with the doctor while Tony just stared toward where he knew Scarlett was resting, contemplating going upstairs to at least check on her.

Instead he turned back to his drink and sat on the couch.

“Jarvis, let’s get searching for MedCo again.”

“Without Miss Damien, sir?” Tony nodded in response to his computer but didn’t offer an explanation. Pepper decided to stay after dealing with the doctor to keep an eye on Tony, worried by his behavior. On top of that, she wanted to make sure that Tony didn’t interrupt Scarlett’s slumber which would last through the next day entirely.


	19. Wearing a Mask

The cold, clammy feeling of nausea overwhelmed her. It started in the depths of her stomach and crept slowly through her chest, tightening around her lungs and spread up into her throat making it harder and harder to breathe. _Just keep sleeping and it can’t bother you_. Scarlett lay still on her back, but knew it was too late to fall back into the fitful slumber she’d found. Now that she was awake she’d have no choice but to get up and battle the nausea she felt, which she was sure was a direct result of the medicine she’d been given in combination with the stress of the weeks past. Bracing herself for what usually followed her bouts of nausea, Scarlett slowly sat up.

Much to her surprise, the surface beneath her hands wasn’t the warm plush mattress she’d expected to find but instead the cold and uninviting tile floor of a bathroom she didn’t immediately recognize. When she opened her eyes and things finally came into focus after the fog of sleep had lifted, it was all too familiar. Was she having another nightmare or had she manifested some horrible hallucination?

She was sitting near the wall, painted a pale green, filthy from age and chipping in places. The light above her flickered unsteadily due to the unstable power of the city she was in. Her arm itched and burned so she looked down to find the source of her pain which was an IV within her arm near her elbow by the joint. The flesh around the IV was bruised painfully, the gauze bloody and clearly in need of changing. How long has she been in the hospital this time? Had Tony grown tired of her causing trouble in his beautiful home and decided to finally bring her to the hospital to be dealt with by someone more tolerant? It wouldn’t have surprised her but something didn’t feel right. Her gut was telling her this wasn’t the case.

Carefully, Scarlett used the wall behind her and pushed to her feet which were sore and stiff as though she hadn’t walked in weeks. The muscles of her legs twitched in objection to her sudden movements and she nearly fell back to her knees. Leaning heavily against the wall once she was upright she looked to her feet and saw her toes bleeding through gauze they’d been wrapped in. Why hadn’t she noticed that when she’d first woken up? Now that she thought about it several more things around her seemed amiss. It was like her surroundings continued to manifest as time passed.

Her arm was in a sling close to her body, the fingers of her left hand swollen and purple. There were stitches on her side; she could feel them pulling uncomfortably. Without having to look, Scarlett knew just what other wounds she’d find. She was in the hospital in Afghanistan. After a job had gone wrong she’d escaped, and just barely, with her life. She’d walked as far as she could out of captivity but eventually she’d been unable to keep going with the severity of her wounds and had collapsed in the street. Someone had saved her and brought her to a hospital in one of the more developed cities.

There she’d remained unconscious for weeks. But that had been so long ago, what was she doing there now? The fog in her mind wouldn’t allow her to think further than that. Panic gripped her chest and constricted her breathing but instinct helped her quickly overcome it. Why hadn’t she been able to do that with Tony while she’d been working with him? It hadn’t been the first time the severity of a situation had terrified her, so why had it been so hard to get past the pain when she’d been in a safe environment with able assistance? Had she really allowed herself to become that incredibly vulnerable in a few short days?

Her thoughts quickly faded from Tony and the beautiful mansion she’d been permitted to rest in and back to the bathroom where she’d clearly spent an extended amount of time on the floor. The sink was dripping annoyingly and as she moved to turn the handle to get it to stop she saw the liquid red and congealed, reminding her of blood. Leaning heavily on the cart that held her IV she hunched down to get a better look at the sink. Instead of the filter she expected to see in the faucet, she saw something pink and fleshy oozing disgustingly.

Nausea washed through her again, the hot clammy feeling of illness overwhelming for a few seconds before she could get a handle on it. Turning away from the sink, Scarlett was about to reach for the door when the IV in her arm started to ache worse than it had before. It felt like it was stabbing her over and over again within her flesh, against her muscle. What hell had she woken up to? And if it wasn’t real then how come it felt so incredibly vivid? Her logical mind was telling her that she was having another nightmare but her subconscious wouldn’t allow her to accept it without proof.

The walls around her were pulsing, throbbing and soon enough they echoed with the beating of a heart. Beeping, much like what would be heard through a heart monitor echoed through the room and soon became earsplitting. Unable to cover her ears because of the sling, Scarlett hunched over and tried to shield herself from the obtrusive sound.

Pain in her arm reminded her of the stabbing discomfort of her IV. Becoming increasingly frustrated with her surroundings, she reached to grab the IV and without a moment of hesitation she pulled the tape and gauze away and freed the needle from her skin. Much to her surprise, it wasn’t a needle at all but rather something long, flesh colored, and covered in small spines. No wonder she’d been in such pain. Gagging as she struggled to pull herself free of her spine covered tether, Scarlett’s hands began to tremble with fear. Despite her disgust, she knew she had to keep pulling until it had been removed or the process would only become that much more horrifying. Once free of the IV that wiggled around on the floor without her help, much like a fish out of water, Scarlett could no longer resist the urge to vomit.

For some reason, the toilet seemed off limits to her and she didn’t question it, so she used the sink to her disposal. Knowing that turning the faucet on wasn’t an option she finished up, the bile hot in her throat and making it sore, then wiped her mouth on the back of her arm to rid her lips of any remnants. It was disgusting, but better than using whatever fleshy substance the sink was covered in.

Reaching for the doorknob, Scarlett knew what she’d find on the other side of the door. It would be the hospital room she spent weeks in trying to recover from the extensive wounds she’d suffered while being held captive. It had been uninviting but she’d been too fragile for weeks to attempt escape. Once she’d gotten past the infections that came from lying around in a filthy cage, she’d broken free and gone on her way.

Unexpectedly, the room on the other side of the door wasn’t the hospital room at all. In front of her was a small living room with one or two pieces of clean furniture. There were no photos on the wall and a small television in the corner. Scarlett had never been one to plant roots so every place she’d ever lived in for the past ten years had only ever had the necessities. The only reason she’d ever had a television or a couch at all was because Scott had insisted she get one when they’d started living together.

Confused, she glanced behind her and saw the dark streets of the city in India she’d lived in during her time in the Middle East. How had she gotten there from the hospital? Her head was pounding. The pain was splitting and horrible. Stumbling forward and away from the door she dropped to her knees on the linoleum and then succumbed to the urge to lay her pulsating head on the cold floor.

Closing her eyes she tried to get it together, just as she had when she’d first returned home. Her body was still mangled and sore but she’d found her way to safety at last. How long had it taken her? A week? Hospital band still around her wrist, she reached in front of her to try and push herself off of the floor and back to her knees. If she could get to her bed, perhaps she could return to sleep and escape the confusion of her mind. Maybe Scott would be there and maybe he’d hold her and she’d, if nothing else, feel less alone.

Footsteps approached and she slowly tried to push herself up again. Opening her eyes she saw the familiar sneakers that Scott often wore around the house, since he’d always been afraid of bugs crawling on him in the night. Scarlett had always told him it was silly to be afraid of something so much smaller than him, but he hadn’t cared.

“Scott…” Her voice was weak and broken. She was clearly in need of help. If he’d just kneel down, brush her hair away and tell her she’d be okay it would be all she needed to find comfort. But no comforting touch ever came, no kind or soothing words that she so craved.

He knelt down, grabbed her shoulder and pushed her onto her back. His green eyes were accusing her as they often did when she came home in the night without a word. But what more lay behind those eyes? What else was he blaming her for this time?

“Scott, _please._ ” Her mind was growing hazier by the second. The ache within her body made her twitch and tremble. All she needed was a helping hand, someone to tell her it was okay but instead she received quite the opposite.

“What did I tell you?” Scott peered over her, adjusting the glasses on the bridge of his nose. He shook his head in dismay after observing her wounds. Grabbing her hand he touched her swollen fingers. Pain shot through her arm and up to her shoulder and a small cry of anguish escaped her lips. Furrowing her brow once the pain had passed, Scarlett wasn’t sure what Scott was referring to. “I told you this would happen.”

“What?” Scarlett’s voice was broken but she’d heard this speech a thousand times.

“You were going to get what was coming to you one day. You keep playing with fire and expect not to get burned.” Scott was leaning close to her. Scarlett held her head up, hoping beyond hope to receive one small comforting touch. “This is what happens when you cover yourself in kerosene and light matches.”

Without another word, Scott stood up and walked away from her. Scarlett laid her head back on the floor, frustrated with herself. Was this a memory? Was this some terrible nightmare? Scarlett couldn’t figure it out. Her thoughts had become too muddled and nothing felt real. Regardless of the surreal nature of her nightmare, she knew one thing was real. The coldness she felt after Scott had left her on the floor to rot.

Swallowing her discomfort, her anguish, her exhaustion and pain she pushed herself so she was sitting upright and closed her eyes. Hazy memories of misery, beatings, and fighting for her life followed by escape attempts flashed into her thoughts only to disappear entirely as though they’d never happened in the first place. There was no time to deal with what had already happened, all she could do was deal with the road in front of her and take it with both feet on the ground.

Then the earth beneath her began to shake violently, the linoleum splitting. Hurrying to her feet, Scarlett knew there was no use trying to run for cover. Before she could reach the door to the bedroom where she was sure Scott was waiting for her to come and apologize, the ground gave out beneath her and she was swallowed by darkness.

Scarlett’s eyes snapped open just as she hit the heated marble floor next to the bed in the guest room of the Stark Mansion. Laying face first on the floor, Scarlett stared for a long moment at the ground before leaning her head down on the floor and closing her eyes. With a loud and anguished groan of misery she shifted to make sure her body was intact. What hell was her mind trying to put her through? Her body was stiff and heavy, like she’d slept for too long but she continued to shift anyway until she felt secure enough to push herself up. The wound on her arm was nearly completely healed and the bandage had been removed. She guessed the wound on her side was about the same.

Her leg however, felt new. It had been sore and pained from the moment she’d woken up in the lab downstairs. While it still ached it was nothing like it had been days prior. There was no quivering or weakness when she adjusted her body. Whatever the doctor had done had helped her drastically. Pulling at the gauze with tired hands once she’d sat against the bed frame she peeked at the wound. It wasn’t pretty but it was finally looking normal. The bloodied parts had scabbed over and started to heal at long last.

“Good morning, Miss Damien.” Jarvis spoke overhead in a quiet and soothing voice. For some reason the voice of the artificially intelligent computer system was comforting for her. Nuzzling her cheek against the blankets that hung off of the bed near her head she smiled slightly.

“Morning, Jarvis.” Scarlett’s voice cracked tiredly. Slowly she got to her feet, being careful with how much weight she put on her bad leg. Much to her pleasure, she found that her leg was supporting her much as it had done before she’d injured it at all. With a little stretching she guessed that she would no longer be limited by her wound in her movements.

“Shall I alert Miss Potts that you’re awake?” When no further instruction came from the room, Jarvis felt compelled to ask for some.

“No, I’m okay Jarvis. Let me get dressed first before you call anyone, okay?” Scarlett sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to figure out what the hell had happened to her hair in the night. She must have been tossing and turning during her nightmare. What had happened to her while she slept? The memory of it was hazy but she could remember the terror she’d experienced.

What had triggered the nightmare this time? Maybe it was because of how helpless she’d become when her leg had collapsed beneath her while she was working with Tony. Or perhaps, it was because for the first time in her life, someone had been there to catch her when she fell. For years, she’d fought to handle things on her own and had insisted that she’d not needed any help to a point that when she finally found help and comfort it had crippled her. Then again, it could still be from the post traumatic stress she’d suffered through after her captivity.

Shaking the thoughts of what had happened with Tony the day before and in her nightmare from her mind she started to make the bed beneath her out of habit. She’d always been meticulously clean when she lived on her own.

“That will be taken care of once you’re awake, Miss Damien.” Jarvis instructed when he realized what she was doing.

“I don’t mind doing it.” Scarlett made no attempts to stop making her bed.

“I am programmed to have the rooms cleaned when you are absent from them.” The computer continued to speak. “Should I get you some coffee or perhaps some tea? Your adrenaline levels and heart rate were unusually high during your sleep. If you like, some warm milk can be prepared to help calm you.”

“I had a bad dream that’s all. It’s nothing Jarvis. I could use a first aid kit if you have that on hand though.” Scarlett finished making the bed, despite how she was sure that it would be completely redone once she’d left. A computerized butler and every luxury at her disposal was not something she would easily adjust to. And seeing as she assumed her residence at the Stark mansion was temporary, she figured she shouldn’t get used to the five star treatment.

“Should I alert Miss Potts or Mister Stark that you are in need of some assistance?” The computer whirred overhead and something moved within the ceiling. As she had requested, first aid supplies laid out neatly on a tray emerged on a robotic arm from the ceiling just as it had the day before when Tony had helped to take care of the same burn on her leg.

“No, I’m fine Jarvis. I’m feeling much better now than I did before I went to sleep. I can handle changing my gauze on my own. If I need anything or my vitals are off you can alert them but otherwise leave this to me.” Stretching her limbs, Scarlett took the tray and set it down on the nightstand nearby. Jarvis didn’t immediately respond and for whatever reason Scarlett got the feeling that the computer was considering still contacting Tony or Pepper to try and help her out, just in case. She’d bothered them enough with her leg and it was feeling far better than it had in days so Scarlett found it unnecessary to ask for assistance.

Carefully she pulled the old, dirty gauze off of her leg and away from her wound. Someone must have changed it while she’d slept because it wasn’t as covered in blood as it should’ve been had it been applied directly after the procedure the doctor had performed before she’d gone to bed.

“I’m really okay, Jarvis.” Scarlett smiled as she discarded the old gauze and started to apply antiseptic to the rest of the wound. The Jarvis computer was still remarkable in her mind and she found herself enamored by it. It felt like there were eyes filled with concern with her in the room.

“If you insist, Miss Damien.” The computer eventually spoke, sounding skeptical of her but reluctantly allowing her independence.

“You can call me Scarlett if you like.” Her leg stung and twitched with the application of the disinfectant.

“If you insist, Scarlett.” The computer repeated. Chuckling quietly beneath her breath, Scarlett observed the wound on her leg. It was smaller than it had been before she’d gone to sleep but she guessed that the swelling had finally started to go down once the offending chemical had been removed. Thankfully it was nowhere near as disgusting as it had been when she’d last been awake, as well. Any worry she’d felt in regards to the wound was finally starting to dissipate. It was one last thing for her mind to obsess over. Now all that was left was her situation with Tony, not to mention the events that had led up to it.

“That’s all, huh?” Wrapping fresh gauze around her wound she pulled it tight to make sure it was secure and wouldn’t slide down her leg throughout the day. After taping the gauze securely she looked around the room in quiet contemplation. Why was she having nightmares every time she closed her eyes? She couldn’t exactly remember this last one so she couldn’t try to work out what fear had manifested itself in her subconscious this time. Once she was able to get her own cell phone she’d do her best to record her dreams so she could later interpret them. It wasn’t an exact science, but Scarlett couldn’t live without being able to fitfully sleep every night either. If her past was finally coming back to haunt her she’d have to find a way to combat it.

With her wound taken care of, Scarlett addressed the IV still in her arm. The haunting memory of the IV that she’d had in her dream that had so disgusted her flashed in her thoughts for a split second before she disregarded it. Carefully, she disconnected the bag of fluids from the IV and then removed the needle from her skin. She covered the small wound on her arm with a piece of gauze and taped it into place.

Getting up from where she sat on the bed, she collected the dirty gauze and tossed it into a trashcan in the bathroom. Then she picked out a casual blue dress to put on. When she worked she usually wore pants but perhaps she’d learn to get used to walking around in dresses or skirts constantly. After the discomfort the jeans had caused her the day before, she wasn’t eager to give them another chance even if the felonious chemical had been completely removed. She found walking around far simpler than it had been the day before. Maybe, if she was allowed, she could have some time in the gym she’d seen in Tony’s home in passing so she could strengthen her muscles a bit before she put herself back in harm’s way.

She took a quick shower, sorted out the tangled curly mess that was her hair and then got changed. Deciding she’d done all she could do to procrastinate going downstairs to see Tony, she started out of the room. What was she supposed to do now that she’d kissed him? Could she chalk it up to the trauma of what had happened? Maybe she could tell him it had been her simply showing her gratitude for what he’d done. He could’ve left her to deal with the horrible pain on her own or just called a paramedic and left it at that. Even after she’d verbally attacked him time and time again he’d taken care of her and had stayed with her until he was sure she was alright.

No one had ever done that for her before in the past. The fact that it was Tony Stark who had done it only made it that much more conflicting. Wasn’t he supposed to be some dastardly villain? On top of that, wasn’t he supposed to be the greatest of all heartbreakers? The man she was with now was nothing like the man she’d read about in the papers. Stopping halfway through the hallway she considered that.

No, he was exactly like the papers portrayed him but the interpretation was all wrong. He was a snarky, clever, self centered, chauvinistic pain in the ass but that had been all that was ever reported. Or perhaps no one had ever seen the reality that was Tony Stark. It seemed the only people who spent more than a few minutes during an interview with him were his assistant and his driver. She’d heard rumor of him having a friend in the military that was now helping him out with super hero related matters, but she’d seen no proof of him since her arrival.

And now there was her. She’d spent nearly every waking moment with Tony over the past few days. Leaning against the wall near the staircase, Scarlett considered that the papers and reports had it all wrong when it came to Tony Stark. Of course, it was his own fault for the way he handled first impressions but she wondered if that was perhaps by design.

He couldn’t get hurt or be betrayed if he never let anyone past that wall of sarcasm and perversion he held up so well. Laughing under her breath she headed down the stairs at long last. Unraveling the way Tony’s mind worked was part of what she had to do in order to get what she needed. At least that’s what she was telling herself to justify her Tony consumed thoughts. As she approached the bottom of the staircase, over the rush of water from the sculpture behind the couch, she could hear voices and stopped to listen so she could know what she was getting herself into.

“I’m not going anywhere, not with Scarlett upstairs still sick and so much work to do here.” Tony’s voice was muffled, like he was holding something in his mouth.

“You’ve completely repaired the new Mark Tony and I saw you messing around with the Mark V this morning. You’re running out of things to tinker with. What else could you _possibly_ do?” Pepper’s voice was much clearer and sounded far more irritated than Tony’s.

“Oh, only about a thousand things I can think of off of the top of my head. Have you heard of Stark Industries? I don’t know how much you know about it but it’s a pretty big company and there’s always something for me to do there considering it’s _my_ company.” Without needing to look, Scarlett could imagine Tony gesturing at his assistant. Wiping the smile quickly off of her face, Scarlett considered that she had developed Stockholm Syndrome. Her fondness for him had gone far out of her control and seemed unnatural to her.

“Of course I have, don’t you remember that time when you made me CEO?” Pepper spoke over Tony as he continued to ramble on through a list of things he could possibly be doing that were better than whatever Pepper was trying to get him to do.

“And you only lasted for a week, Potts!” Whatever Tony held in his mouth, he’d removed because now his voice was clear.

“Don’t get me started on _that_ Tony, because we all know why that only lasted a week.” Pepper was pacing back and forth. Scarlett could hear the click of her heels on the floor.

“Incompetence? I’m just guessing but I’m sure there were a number of other reasons.” Scarlett couldn’t tell if Tony was joking or not, but she was guessing that he was considering all that he entrusted Pepper to do for him on a daily basis.

“ _Incompetent?_ No Tony, we’re not going to argue about something _else_. You promised you’d go to this event tonight and you’re not getting out of it.” Scarlett was impressed that Pepper had managed to get around Tony’s attempt to change the topic of conversation. She guessed that after working for him for so long it had become second nature to avoid his diversions.

“No one’s going to notice if I’m not there.” Tony’s voice started to drift, as if he’d gotten up and started walking across the room. Scarlett quietly continued to descend the stairs, wanting to listen in on as much of the conversation as she could before making herself known.

“I don’t think I can even dignify that with a response.” Pepper had stopped walking. Scarlett could picture her with her arms crossed over her chest in annoyance.

“The right answer was of _course_ people will notice that I’m not there. I’m Tony Stark! But on that same line of thinking, Pepper, I’m _Tony Stark_ and if I don’t _want_ to go to this damn thing then I don’t think I have to, now do I?” A sarcastic laugh echoed through the spacious living area.

“You _promised_. The people from MIT are counting on you being there.” Pepper sounded exhausted and Scarlett wondered how long the two had been arguing over this event Tony didn’t want to go to.

“Since when does that matter? I’ll do what I want, not what’s expected of me just as I always have.” Tony’s voice came closer again.

“And you wonder why everyone thinks you’re such an ass.” The sound of Pepper’s heels picked up again.

“I _am_ an ass Pepper, no one’s wondering about that except for you.” She could hear the humor in Tony’s voice. Scarlett peeked around the stairs and saw the back of Tony’s head and Pepper pacing the way that she’d envisioned her doing.

“You made this obligation months ago. Do you know what Rhodey’s going to say when he finds out that you’re bailing?” Pepper was trying to play to Tony’s guilt, but Scarlett guessed that wasn’t the easiest feat.

“That he’s uh, not surprised?” Tony shook his head then took a sip out of a water bottle. He had tape wrapped around his hands and Scarlett guessed that he’d been in his gym not too long ago.

“No, he’ll come over here and make _me_ feel guilty because he isn’t coming tonight because you _promised_ to go and represent the both of you! Remember? You told him that he could go on vacation for a week for the first time in years because you would take care of this for him.”

“It’s a _charity_ event not a meeting with the Department of Defense.” Tony cocked an eyebrow. “It’s going to be _boring_ , stuffy and all those idiots at MIT are going to harass me and tell me how brilliant I am while shoving compliments down my throat the whole night. That’s exhausting!”

“When have you turned down the opportunity to stroke your ego? That’s your life’s work Tony, making people know you’re brilliant and shoving it in their faces annoyingly.” Pepper scoffed, staring at him in disbelief.

“My ego isn’t what needs stroking right now, Pepper!” Tony had clearly stopped taking things seriously.

“You’re disgusting.”

“Saying that repeatedly won’t make me care anymore than I did yesterday.” Tony muttered, turning his attention to something in his hands again. Pepper sighed heavily and paced the floor once more, seeming to consider the situation at hand and trying to find a more convincing argument.

“It could be fun, Tony.” Tony stopped what he was doing and looked at Pepper skeptically before turning his attention back to whatever he held in his hands.

“So could a root canal, but I’m not jumping up to get that done either.”

“It’s a masquerade ball! They’re clearly set up to party for the night. It’s been how long since you went to a good party?” Scarlett had a feeling that eventually, Tony would agree to go only to shut his assistant up. She wondered though, how reliable Tony’s word was in a situation like this. What would stop him from ditching the party after agreeing to go? 

“If I _wanted_ to have a good party, Pepper, I’d just throw one. Masquerade is a good idea though, I haven’t done that in a few years. Maybe this Halloween…” Tony contemplated, but clearly his mind hadn’t changed.

“Why would you throw one when you can go to one _tonight_?” Pepper scoffed in annoyance. Tony sighed heavily and leaned against the back of his couch, moving both arms onto the back of it.

“Scarlett is upstairs. I need to be here in case something happens. Just send them a check for a contribution for however much you think is necessary to apologize for my absence.” Tony leaned his head back. Scarlett averted her eyes and wondered if he was using her as an excuse or if there was genuine worry in his voice.

“ _Invite her!_ What if she went with you?” Pepper was grasping at straws to try and make the night seem appealing. Finally, Tony didn’t object but seemed to consider her proposal.

“She’s been out of it for two days, Pepper. If she doesn’t wake up tonight I’m probably bringing her to a hospital. As fun as bringing her to a party sounds, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”

“It was a terrible idea anyway.” Pepper finally stopped pacing. “After what happened to me and Happy out on the highway, I’d be worried about you bringing her in public and causing another scene.”

“Well now that you’re worried about it, I kind of want to go.” Tony jeered and got up again, setting down the small electronic device he was working with on the couch. “I’ll go check on her again.” Deciding it was time to stop hiding, Scarlett made her move.

“Check on who? Me?” Scarlett walked down the remaining stairs and into the living room. Tony’s eyebrows shot to the top of his head and Pepper seemed amused by her timing.

“Yes, actually.” Tony wiped his greasy hands off on his jeans and walked over to her, offering a hand to help her walk which she ignored as she had during his prior offers. She saw a smile on Tony’s mouth behind the annoyance he expressed when she rejected him.

“Well, no need then. And before you ask me I think that it’s a terrible idea that you invite me out to whatever it is you don’t want to go to tonight. So don’t bother.” Scarlett walked around him and sat herself down on the couch near whatever Tony had been working on. It looked to her like a dissected version of his cell phone.

“Why not? We’ve been cooped up in this house the last few days and you could use a good time after what happened.” Tony sat down next to her on the couch with that look Scarlett found so annoying constantly on his face. The look that told everyone he knew how cute and charming he was and was going to use it to his advantage. She hated that it only seemed to make him more endearing.

“Just yesterday you were telling me that we were taking ugly inconspicuous cars to and from places because you didn’t want to draw attention to me and now you’re telling me I should go to some event just because you’ll be bored if I don’t?” Scarlett pursed her lips in amusement.

“Two days ago you mean, you slept _forever_ and it’s true, I don’t want you in the limelight until we figure out what those men wanted but at the same time… it could be fun.” Tony bit his lip and concentrated. “You all dressed up in a sexy dress with a dark mask on… You’ll be the dark mysterious girl in a room filled with science geeks. Come on, it’ll be a blast.”

“What, so you can show me off on your arm like some prize? No way, Stark. I’m a lot of things but arm candy isn’t one of them.” Scarlett couldn’t deny that the idea of a party sounded fun, but in the back of her mind she worried about how she’d handled being in a room crowded with strangers.

“Jarvis, I need you to start looking up evening gowns. Maybe something with a nice slit right up the leg… you know, so Scarlett’s wound can breathe.” Tony added in after both Pepper and Scarlett gave him a look that clearly disapproved.

“I’m not going anywhere with my leg still such a mess, Stark.” Scarlett corrected him. “Cancel that order Jarvis, it’s not worth it.”

“You’re doing much better obviously. The doctor came to check on you yesterday and said that you could walk around and start to recover at long last. Plus, he left you with some pretty awesome pain medication. That will make you fly to this damn place… not that I would know or anything.” Tony averted his eyes when Pepper glared at him accusingly.

“Even without all of that, I’m not going to a party with _you_.” Scarlett tried to make her point clear.

“What’s so terrible about going with me somewhere? I’m, by far, the best person to take to a party.” Tony knew why she was resisting, but it was fun to mess around with her.

“I’ve seen you at events with women in the papers and while a lot of your press might be falsified or conjecture, that’s most certainly the part that isn’t. I’m not some brainless bimbo for you to show off.” Scarlett itched at the gauze on her leg and felt Tony grab her wrist to make her stop.

“ _Brainless bimbo?_ No way, not you… I would never call you that. I have a lot of _other_ things I could call you that you probably don’t want to hear but brainless and bimbo are not the words I would’ve chosen.” Tony let go of her hand once he was sure she wasn’t going to scratch again.

“It’s out of the question, Stark.” Scarlett furrowed her brow then recalled something he’d said earlier. “Wait, I’ve been asleep for _how_ long?”

“Two days.” Pepper sat on the loveseat across the room picking up the stack of papers she had left there earlier and pulling them into her lap.

“Thirty six hours, she’s exaggerating.” Tony gently nudged Scarlett’s arm then reached over her to tug on the hem of her dress. Immediately Scarlett placed her hand over the bottom of it so Tony couldn’t lift it any higher. Pouting he tugged on it again. “I’m just trying to look at your wound. It probably needs cleaning.”

“I took care of it already and it’s doing much better than before. Why did you let me sleep for so long?” Scarlett swatted at his hand again but he didn’t pull away.

“Um, because you were tired?” Tony shook his head as if this were the obvious answer.

“Scarlett, please.” Pepper interrupted much to their surprise. “If you don’t go then he won’t go and I’m going to have to apologize to about a thousand people and listen to how disappointed they are that Tony didn’t show up. I swear they tried to make this interesting just so that he would _want_ to go.” Pepper held her hands clasped together in front of her. Scarlett stopped to consider the notion of actually going to the event.

On one hand, Scarlett would have to go into a room filled with people once again and the last time she’d tried that she’d panicked and there was no chance that she wanted to relive that again. On the other hand, she couldn’t avoid crowds forever and the sooner she got herself used to going back into them the easier her recovery from the post traumatic stress would be. Scarlett had never been the type to let her fears consume her. If she went as they asked, perhaps Pepper would trust her a bit more than she had. 

She knew the woman was being kind to her and was fond of her in a sense, but she was sure that the suspicion that had been aroused when those men had come after her in the club was still there lingering in Pepper’s thoughts. Then there was Tony who clearly wanted to go out with her and have a good time. If she did them this favor and asked for nothing in return, perhaps in the scheme of things, it would make getting what she needed a bit easier.

“Fine, I’ll go.” Scarlett nodded her head and offered Pepper a soft smile. The assistant sighed in relief and set down her papers.

“Thank you, it means a lot. It’s a big event so I don’t think that whoever was coming after you, if that was the case of course, is going to dare to show up there. It would be far too much bad press plus security is usually crazy at those things considering most of the people invited are millionaires at the very least.” Pepper reassured her.

“Wait, just like that? You agreed to go just like that?” Tony interrupted before Pepper could continue on as she had obviously been planning to do. “If I had asked you we would’ve fought about it for an hour at the very least and probably ended up screaming about what a pig I was and I would’ve been in the dog house.”

“She asked me nicely.” Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. “And you _are_ a pig, there’s no argument there.” Tony laughed and shook his head in dismay.

“Alright, so we’re going to need costumes then Pepper. You and Happy should come with… You know, in case I need someone to get me away from the people who are inevitably going to want to talk my ear off about things I have no interest in.” Tony tapped his fingers on his knee.

“Hold on a second.” Scarlett held her hand up in front of Tony to get him to stop talking. He furrowed his brow and tilted his head curiously at her. “Since I’m going to this thing I need to lay down a few ground rules.” Scarlett turned to sit sideways so she could look at Tony and pointed an accusing finger at him.

“Pepper, she’s trying to give me boundaries.” Tony pouted and looked to his assistant for help.

“I am _not_ your date.” Scarlett instructed.

“But I’m so cute.” Tony exclaimed dramatically a smile on his face.

“I’m going as your colleague and there’s no further discussion on the matter. You will not parade me around like some piece of ass you’re proud of tapping and under no circumstances will you allow anyone to believe that such a thing has happened.” While Scarlett did her best to sound stern, she couldn’t hide her smile.

“You _like_ me.” Tony grabbed the finger she held in his face and pulled it out of his line of sight. “Why are you trying so hard not to, hmm?”

“This has nothing to do with whether or not I like you. It has to do with respect, Stark and there’s an automatic assumption about women who are on your arm and I refuse to be one of them. I have worked too hard to become one of the masses who has just tossed her panties out the window for a date with Tony Stark.”

“God you’re sexy when you’re using colorful metaphors.” Tony hashed his teeth together playfully, mocking a growling sound.

“I’m never going to get out of this without looking like a slut, am I?” Scarlett turned her head to look at Pepper.

“I think if you talk the way you are now, you’ll be just fine.” Pepper laughed, enjoying the exchange between the two. Despite her objections, even Pepper could see the spark between the duo in front of her.

“I _really_ don’t like you two being friends.” Tony didn’t make a move to let go of Scarlett’s hand.

“You should be glad that we don’t hate each other.” Scarlett pulled her hand free and then got up to walk over to Pepper. “And if you don’t mind, can I pick out my own dress? I don’t want to trust Tony with such a task. If you let him pick something out for me… I honestly don’t want to know what will happen.”

“Of course you can. Let me make a few phone calls and then we can start working on that for tonight. Why don’t you have Jarvis get you something to eat so you can take the medicine the doctor gave you while I get things ready?” Pepper stood up and turned to glance at Tony. “You be on your best behavior.” Before she walked away she turned to look at Scarlett one last time with a smile on her face. “Thank you again.” Scarlett nodded in acceptance of her gratitude.

“Always, mother.” Tony rolled his eyes and watched his assistant leave the room. After she’d gone he peered over at Scarlett who was now standing across the room from him and smiled mischievously.

“What?” Scarlett turned her gaze away from him and sat on the couch that Pepper had been seated on only moments ago.

“You look better.”

“Thanks… I think.” Scarlett turned her eyes away from Tony again and toward the water sculpture behind him. She fought off the chills, not wanting to let Tony know she was getting them. Why did things feel different when she was with him? It was damn frustrating, that was for sure. When she was without him the situation seemed so simple, but when they were together was when things got hairy. Tony leaned his elbows on his knees and stared at her still from across the room.

“How come every time I try to take you somewhere you have to go above and beyond to make sure it’s not a date?” Tony got up, picking up the small device he’d been working on and starting toward where Scarlett now sat. She continued to look past him.

“It’s _not_ a date Stark because we are _not_ dating.”

“Well, obviously. A woman I was dating would more than likely call me Tony.” Widening his eyes for a moment while he spoke, he continued to approach.

“See, you just proved my point.”

“So, you’re this girl I’m _not_ dating.” Tony sat down next to her and placed his hand on her knee.

“That’s what I just said.” Scarlett pried his hand off of her leg but couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t _mean_ to flirt with him, it was just something that happened when she was with him. “I’m not looking to join the masses, Stark.”

“Well, I’ve had a lot of women I’m _not_ dating kiss me before, you know.” Tony fought to get his fingers free of her hand that was prying him away.

Scarlett didn’t respond but simply stared at Tony instead. When she tried to pull her hand back and away from his, he grabbed it and held it close to his chest. She could feel the metal of the reactor beneath his shirt against her knuckles.

“Regardless, you should reconsider… because I’d hate for you to be like those masses you keep talking about.” Bringing her hand to his lips he kissed her knuckle, let his scruff purposely brush against her skin then let go of her hand. Standing up, Tony waved the small electronic device he was working on. “I’m building you a phone. It’ll be done before the party tonight.” Scarlett simply stared at him, daring him to make another move or to continue talking. When she said nothing and they simply stared at each other Tony cleared his throat and smirked. This was partially why he liked her. Whenever he thought he knew what her next move was she surprised him. On top of that, the tension that had built up between them simply continued to intensify. All he’d done was kiss her hand all she’d done was smile at him but his heart was in his throat. 

“Jarvis, get her something to eat. I’ve got to get finished with this and get cleaned up.” Turning to look back down at Scarlett he showed her his filthy hands. “I’ve got two days worth of grease on me now.” Leaning down to brush the back of his hand over Scarlett’s cheek he left a kiss there beneath where he’d touched. He hesitated after the cheek kiss and contemplated finding her lips with his again but instead pulled away. If they were going to go to the party that Pepper had pushed on them that night, he had a lot of work to get done in a short amount of time. When things stressed him out, Tony generally immersed himself so deeply into his work it was sometimes hard to pull him away. But now that he saw that Scarlett was doing well he was confident enough to take a step back.

Scarlett turned toward him and held her breath without realizing it. When Tony saw just as much conflict behind her blue eyes as he felt in his own mind, he stood up straight and walked away, wiping his hands again on his shirt. There’d be plenty of time for him to make his move at the party and at least there he’d be in his element.

Watching him walk away and back to his lab Scarlett finally exhaled and caught her breath. Flopping backwards onto the couch she wiped her face with her hands and groaned in disapproval. What the hell was she doing? Every time she left the room she’d strengthen her resolve when it came to dealing with Tony and then she’d completely abandon any plans she’d had when he smiled at her. It felt like a school girl crush she’d developed and she didn’t like it.

The more time she spent with him, the harder it was becoming to get past the feelings she’d developed for him. So, Scarlett decided it was finally time for her to move forward with her plan. The party was the perfect opportunity for her to take advantage of her position. If she waited any longer, she would lose the upper hand. She’d get the truth tonight one way or another and find out where to go from there.

“Jarvis, could I get some coffee with whatever breakfast you’re cooking up? I have a feeling I’m going to need it.” Sitting up straight again, Scarlett pushed her hair out of her face. She hoped Tony wasn’t the villain she’d initially made him out to be and for more reasons than her own selfish ones. If he wasn’t, she could find out who was responsible and still get revenge for Scott while leaving Tony to build a better world.

But for now, Scarlett would only have to worry about keeping what she needed to do professional. Unfortunately, she knew she was already far more emotionally invested than she’d ever intended to be.


	20. Green With Envy

It was funny how time seemed to fly by in the Stark household on a regular day. Before Scarlett had finished eating her breakfast, Pepper had returned to her side with magazine upon magazine filled with expensive gowns and cocktail dresses as well as possible masks that she could wear to match her gown. Halfway through the dress ordering process Tony had returned from his excursions in his laboratory, filthier than he’d been when he’d left and had tried to throw his opinions and desires into the mix. Ultimately the women had given Tony the final choice of masks for the party since that had been the only way to keep him from driving them crazy with his whining and interjections. After having chosen a dress for the night, Pepper had left Scarlett on her own so the busy redhead could get the gowns ordered and picked up before the afternoon had ended.

Scarlett guessed that working for Tony Stark had a lot of pull in the retail business. The positive press designers would get for their work simply being in the same room as the man would be more than beneficial. The continued thought of the crowd she’d be a part of later that evening made Scarlett increasingly nervous. What if she panicked the way she had when Tony had taken her to the club for dinner that first night? Surely she’d be over that fear by now, considering all that had transpired in the interim. But what if she’d only been able to properly function without fear gripping her because of how she’d been so isolated for the days prior?

Before she’d had time to dwell much further over her fears a hairdresser had, much to her astonishment, come to help her with her hair for the night. She’d objected to the idea of it at first, but with some convincing from Pepper she’d relented and allowed the man to do his job and attempt to style her hair. Scarlett had never spent much time in a salon. She’d always considered herself lucky to have unruly curly hair because no matter what she did to it, it somehow managed to look effortless and glamorous. 

Once that had been taken care of they’d barely had enough time to get changed before it was time for them to leave for the event. Naturally, they were running later than they’d hoped. Scarlett guessed that Tony wasn’t exactly considered _punctual_ on most occasions when she realized that the only one _actually_ panicking was Pepper. Even Happy seemed not to care that they wouldn’t be on time for the event. He was too busy fiddling with his bowtie over and over to care. The dress that Scarlett had decided on in the end for the night was pale turquoise in color, the top of it being a constricting bodice cut into an unconventional shape that hugged her securely. 

She’d made sure it had straps, since it had become a habit of hers to make sure that whatever she’d wear out was something she could maneuver enough in to defend herself of the occasion arose. There was little worse than getting into a fistfight in a strapless dress. It usually became inevitable that she’d end up flashing someone and Scarlett wasn’t that kind of lady. She preferred to keep what was beneath her dress a mystery.

The bottom half of the dress draped loosely onto the floor, minus a slit in the side of her dress that went up to her thigh. She actually thought it had been a genius idea when Tony had suggested it to her, even if he had been purely chauvinistic with his intentions. Her wounded thigh wouldn’t become constricted or insulated by the fabric as it had when she’d been working with Tony in her jeans. On top of the bottom half of the dress was another layer of sheer chiffon in a faded dark brown shade that accented the blue in a way she’d never seen before in a dress. The corset was detailed with the same brown color along with some touches of blue and gold to highlight the detailing. If it had been done any other day then it might have looked tacky.

The group loaded into a classy Bentley which Scarlett took a few moments to drool over before they headed on their way. Happy Hogan, as usual, was in charge of driving them to the hall where the masquerade was being held. 

The building was beautiful, large and Grecian in inspiration and design. It was at the far end of an extensive driveway with gorgeous gardens surrounding the sides and back of the building. Scarlett didn’t have much time to ponder what the building was usually used for on a daily basis, because Tony was shoving something in her face and blocking her view out the window.

“Here, you can’t go to a masquerade without a mask, now can you?” Tony smirked, though he had tried his best to find something that would give her the anonymity he couldn’t afford to give himself at such events. Short of shaving, he was pretty recognizable. If someone was after Scarlett though, then maybe her mask would help keep her in the shadows during that particular event. At least, that was what Tony was hoping it would do. He’d chosen Venetian masks after much pondering and searching for other types of masks with the help of Jarvis. He’d stuck to a basic black design since he wasn’t sure what the girls had picked out for Scarlett to wear. 

Pepper on the other hand, was handed a blue mask which luckily would go well with white draped dress accented with blue she’d chosen for the occasion. Once Happy had driven up the lengthy driveway they could see just how extensively large the hall was. It hadn’t seemed nearly as large from the street.

“They really went all out for this, didn’t they?” Pepper spoke under her breath, peering through the front passenger side window. Scarlett nodded to silently agree. Tony peeked over Scarlett’s shoulder and then shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ve seen bigger.” Leaning back again, he tugged on Scarlett’s arm and pulled her close to him and away from the window. She immediately tugged away out of instinct. “Wow, defensive tonight, aren’t we? Well, wait… I guess it’s more like all the time. You need to chill out. I offer my services, of course.” Giving Scarlett a skeptical look followed by a flirting glance, Tony snatched the mask from her hands. He then slipped it into place over her eyes, examining his work. “Perfect. It’s like I picked the dress out myself.”

“Except that you didn’t. Don’t take credit for things you didn’t do.” Scarlett made no move to push him away but instead stared him down. Tony was right about one thing, she definitely needed to chill out. If she could concentrate on what needed to be done with Tony instead of the surely large and wealthy crowd inside the hall, perhaps it wouldn’t seem overwhelming. There had been a time when she’d been capable of sneaking through any crowd, still able to be aware of all her exits and opportunities while keeping a target in sight and now she was afraid to go into something that would most likely be filled with stuffy rich socialites who would have less interest in danger than in the cut of her dress.

“I expected you to keep your hair down but you _didn’t_ , so how are we going to do this…?” Tony held the mask in place over her eyes, his fingers against her cheek while choosing to ignore her snide remark. He peeked around her in order to try to find a way to tie it without knocking her hair out of place. Swatting his hand away from her face after he spent a good three minutes trying to figure it out, Scarlett pulled the strings of the mask around and beneath her hair at the base of her neck and tied it in place, making sure that the mask was properly in place and tight enough so that it wouldn’t fall off.

“Hold on.” Scarlett grabbed the edge of Tony’s mask that was resting in his lap, not wanting to give him a chance to make any snide remarks about where she was reaching and slipped it into place over his eyes. “That’ll do, I suppose.” Sighing heavily and dramatically, she urged him to turn with his back to her which he did after hesitating.

“What do you mean you _suppose_ it’ll do? Do you have any idea how expensive that mask is? And what is it that you think it’s lacking, hmm?” When Tony turned his head to try to look at her over his shoulder, she grabbed his chin and forced him to look forward, much to his amusement. “You know, if you keep manhandling me like this, I’m going to return the favor.”

“I was simply hoping that the mask would cover your mouth so I could pretend I couldn’t understand you the whole night.” Scarlett heard Pepper chuckle in the front seat and thought she saw Happy smile once he’d put the car in park. A second later she heard the front door open and assumed he was communicating with the valet. Tying the mask behind Tony’s head once he’d stopped squirming, Scarlett made sure it was tight enough then placed both hands on his shoulders. “And I’d like to see you _try_ to manhandle me, Stark.” Dusting off his shoulders and straightening the jacket of his slimming black tuxedo for him, Scarlett heard the door open behind her. Happy was holding it open politely for them.

Stepping out before Tony could retaliate to her comment, Scarlett was relieved that the tight clutches of fear didn’t grip her lungs when she saw reporters and paparazzi lined up near the entrance to take photos for the event. Thankfully, it looked like they weren’t allowed within the building so if nothing else, they couldn’t catch pictures of whatever ridiculous things Tony was surely planning on trying throughout the night. Tony scrambled out of the car after her and immediately looped his arm with hers once he had caught up with her.

Scarlett shrugged him off and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Happy and Pepper caught up with them only a few seconds afterward. When they walked past the paparazzi Tony stopped so they could take pictures of him. Not wanting to be in any photos _with_ Tony at a public function in the provocative dress she wore, Scarlett continued walking but was stopped when Tony grabbed her by her wrist and tugged her back. She nearly scolded him for pulling her off balance considering how bad her leg had been only a few days prior but since she’d managed to hold her balance considerably well, she decided against it. Instead she pulled her wrist free of his grip and narrowed her eyes at him in a scolding way. He responded to her look with innocent, playful eyes.

Pepper and Happy stopped further ahead to speak with some of the photographers off to the side, looking excited to be part of the action since they were usually overshadows by Tony’s huge ego. Tony did his best to continue to look innocent but behind his eyes she saw mischief brewing.

“Didn’t we make a deal of some kind about how tonight would be handled?” Scarlett whispered to him but smiled for the pictures.

“Come on, taking pictures is part of the whole going to a public function thing. This is how they make their living! Are you going to deny these beautiful people a paycheck?” Tony pouted, trying to look sincere. “If you want to go out with a celebrity, honey, then you have to learn to deal with the repercussions.

“I’m not his date.” Scarlett turned to the paparazzi with a grin. “He _wants_ me to be his date, but I’m not. I’m his colleague and we’re working on a project together. You can take a few pictures of us if you like, but they will likely mostly be of me swatting his hands away from my ass.” Looking back to Tony she batted her eyelashes and smiled playfully. “Go ahead, remind me one more time just how famous you are.”

Tony’s eyes were wide, but he only stayed surprised briefly. If nothing else, playing with her like this was even more fun in public than it had been alone. Though if he made attempts at her here the way he’d done at home, he’d likely get in huge trouble such as the kind Pepper was always reminding him about. Regardless, he’d always loved having an audience for his antics. There was some sick thrill he got off of other people seeing just how clever he could be. Slipping his arm around her waist he tugged her so that her hip was touching against his while a few pictures were snapped.

“You heard the lady, take your pictures while you get the chance.” Tony laughed as Scarlett tried to swat his hand off of her hip to no avail. “What do you think you’re doing?” He whispered, turning so he could do so in her ear. He tightened his grip on her hip, tangling his fingers in the chiffon of her dress. Not moving away but instead placing a hand over his on her hip she glanced up at him and narrowed her eyes dangerously. Her nails tapped over his fingers, threatening to dig into his hand to get him to let go if she found it necessary. Tony got shivers down his spine and resisted making a crack about what better use those nails would be put to against his back.

“You were _so_ concerned with their paychecks that I figured I’d give them something to actually write about rather than some speculation over one of many brunettes you brought to a party.” Prying his fingers one by one off of her hip she picked up his hand and held it purposely away from her before letting it drop. Waving once more to the paparazzi and blowing Tony a kiss she hurried to catch up with Pepper and Happy who had started their way up the extensive staircase moments prior.

Glancing back at Tony one more time she grinned at him and then continued on her way. Tony stood in front of the paparazzi, staring at the sneaky woman as she walked away from him. It was like a game of cat and mouse but sometimes Tony couldn’t tell which one of those he was. Sometimes he felt like the cat in hot pursuit but other times, like at that moment, he felt like the mouse, being batted around by the sexy cat. Behind the black mask on her face, Scarlett’s blue eyes were beckoning him, luring him in with every move. Whether or not she was doing it on purpose or he was just making it up remained to be seen.

“Mr. Stark?” A vaguely familiar voice brought him back to reality. Turning around and dreading what he saw, he tried not to look disappointed when an older gentleman approached him, hand extended. Before he got to Tony, the man turned to greet the paparazzi and accidentally bumped one of them with the large plague doctor mask he wore. Tilting it up so it rested on the top of his head, he apologized profusely before walking over to Tony who waited for him politely. Though he was sitting and waiting for the man he recognized as a software developer he’d met at several other events in passing, he was contemplating his next move with Scarlett.

The masquerade, while for a charity of course that he would likely donate a large sum of money to depending on how things went, was an opportunity for him to make his next move with Scarlett. They’d been playing their game for far too long and he was ready to declare them both the winner if he couldn’t gain victory on his own. The more time they wasted building their continued tension, the less likely Tony would be able to keep his grace and poise that he was so proud of in such situations. She was bringing out the primal beast in Tony, which was intriguing in itself.

“Mr. Stark, so sorry about that.” The older man, his eyes playful and kind, approached Tony once again and patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m sure that the guy you whacked in the face just now is going to have a damn good story to tell later.” Tony shrugged and straightened his black bowtie. Shaking the man’s hand as he once again offered it, Tony nodded toward the stairs. Scarlett, Happy and Pepper had long since disappeared beyond the open front doors of the hall that were guarded by two large but kind looking men in suits. Tony pondered what sort of snotty threat they’d offer to anyone who clearly didn’t belong at the event.

“As long as he doesn’t sue me for that’s fine. You never know with those people. Some are always looking for effortless ways to make a buck.” Dusting his hand off on his jeans, and looking rather giddy with excitement the man bowed his head respectfully then started with Tony up the stairs. “I don’t know if you remember me, Mr. Stark, but we’ve met a few times here and there at charity functions and other events. I could never get your attention for more than a few moments before but it looks like I’ve gotten lucky this time! Your assistant doesn’t even seem to be here!”

“Right… Leo… something, right? I remember the first name but… You’re a software bigwig that much I know. You were telling me about the product that made you rich when I was called away by my assistant for an important impromptu meeting at Stark Industries.” Tony shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked into the hall. Taking a moment to admire his surroundings, he saw how elegantly the place was decorated. Once through the foyer and opening hall, decorated in a classic romantic era style, they were led into a large ballroom at the far end of the building. 

There were large windows at the opposite end of the room, where a stage and ten piece orchestra were set up playing music. The windows overlooked the gardens behind the hall which were lit up to look like some sort of fairytale. Tony wondered how he could lure Scarlett away and into the gardens later that night. What hot-blooded girl didn’t like to be romanticized amongst the roses? She could pretend it didn’t get to her, but Tony knew that deep down every girl wanted to be romanced. The floors were marble and intricately decorated while the ceiling was vaulted and as intricate as the floor. At the center of the room was a dance floor and around the room were tables, covered in red cloths for those invited to sit in throughout the event.

“Oh so you do remember me! But I think this still calls for a proper introduction, my name is Leonard Mondy, Mr. Stark and it is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Tony.” Without looking at the man at his side he continued inside the ballroom and glanced around to try and find where his companions had gone. Scarlett was easy to find, since it seemed she was the only one who had strayed very far from black and white on the color palette with her gown. She was in the corner of the room standing near a table with Pepper and Happy, chatting and looking content. Admiring her for a moment, Tony then turned back to his current companion and was about to make an excuse to leave when the man grabbed them each a glass of champagne from one of the waiters walking by.

“Tony yes, you have… no idea what an honor it is to be chatting you.” Leonard spoke and despite his age, there was a boyish delight about him that Tony was having trouble turning away. He had expected to get his ear talked off by some snobbish socialites, but this man looked practically giddy to be in his presence. If he was that excited, Tony couldn’t bring himself to deny the man. Who was he to deny his public?

“Well, what is it you want to talk to me about, Leo?” Tony finally turned his attention to Leonard and the champagne he held.

“It’s Leonard if you don’t mind.” Adjusting the plague doctor mask on his head, the older man smiled politely.

“Leo sounds better.” Tony tapped his fingers against the side of his glass of champagne.  
“Ah yes, that is what my fiancé keeps telling me but I prefer, in a professional setting, to be called Leonard.” Tony snapped his fingers in recollection while he spoke.

“Oh, that’s right! I’ve seen you at some of those SHIELD functions. You’re dating the one who talks about her dog too much, right?” Tony smirked, taking a sip out of his glass of champagne. The party was nowhere near as boring as he’d expected it to be at least up to that point. Much to his surprise, the music was good, the crowd seemed lively and most of all, he was entertained.

“Yes, Mickey… She’s a sweet girl.” Leonard seemed like he was ready to jump out of his skin with excitement, since Tony had recognized him and had even bothered to recall so much about him. He was very much like a child who was meeting his favorite cartoon character.

“Well I’d hope so if you’re marrying her. So how is jailbait doing, hmm?” Tony couldn’t help but make a quip at how young the woman from SHIELD was in comparison to her aging fiancée.

“That’s a terrible thing to say!” Despite Leonard’s apparent shock at Tony’s words, he was still smiling with boyish glee. “I know there’s an age gap between us but we’re very much in love.”

“I’m sure you are. Look, Leonard, I was _joking_. I’m all for older men dating younger women. I’m not kid anymore either.” Starting to walk toward the table where Pepper, Happy and Scarlett were now sitting around joking, he decided to invite his new friend along. It occurred to Tony that he had no idea how old Scarlett was on top of everything else. She looked young, but mature so he was guessing late twenties or early thirties. He’d have to make it a point to either find out on his own or to ask her so that he could subdue his curiosity. “Come on, come sit with us. We’ve got plenty of room at the table and it’ll keep me from being surrounded by stiffs all night long.”

“Wow! Really? Mr. Stark… I mean Tony, it’s an honor. You have no idea… I’m a huge fan of yours. The research you’re doing in the energy field is simply mind blowing. Not to mention I’ve read several of your papers. I think you might be the greatest mind this world has seen since Albert Einstein.” The boyish excitement was more apparent than ever in this man as he spoke. “I know you have many fans, mostly because of your wealth and persona and while I think this does add to your overall appeal, it’s the science that really intrigues me.”

“You don’t have to kiss my ass so much, you know. I already invited you to sit with us.” Tony started slowly toward the table but stopped a waiter as he passed by to grab a glass of champagne for Scarlett. It would be his excuse to sit down next to her just in case his companion chose the wrong seat.

“Oh, you misunderstand me!” Leonard stopped walking entirely, that gleeful smile still on his face. “I really am a huge fan of your work! When you announced you would be abandoning weapons development to pursue energy research I was one of the very few who didn’t think the idea was so insane! Then when you reopened the Stark Expo I went once a month just to see the new developments Stark Industries had come up with. It’s amazing what you’ve accomplished in such a short time, Mr. Stark… I mean Tony.” Leonard continued to babble on but not walk toward the table. Sighing heavily as he eyed the table and then turning back to Leonard, Tony smiled.

“Well, then I’ll let you pick my brain at the table. Maybe even over lunch one day. You’re good people Leo. And don’t correct me, I’m calling you Leo. You said you prefer Leonard in a professional setting well this is not a professional setting now is it? This is a charity event and while the motives are financial, the gathering is purely social.” Tony reasoned then started once again toward the table but rolled his head back when Leonard continued talking and didn’t move forward.

“Really? If you mean that then I might have a few business opportunities for you, Tony.” Leonard was so excited that he nearly dropped his glass. As another waiter passed, the mask that had been slipped around the back of his head so he could properly see smacked the waiter. Apologizing again profusely, Leonard then turned back to Tony. “As you said, I’m a software developer and I’ve been working on a few new projects.”

“That’s something we can discuss over lunch. This is purely social.” Tony patted the man on the arm and started to guide him toward the table since he didn’t seem to be getting the hint on his own. If Tony wasn’t so amused and flattered by the man then he would’ve made an excuse to leave. It was refreshing to meet someone who was a fan of his actual work rather than his public persona. He’d been used to women fawning over him and asking for his autograph at every street corner but older men who owned software companies? Usually he received the same disdain from other scientists that he’d gotten from Scarlett when they’d first met. 

“Alright, alright… I can see you’re far more interested in that lovely lady over there than you are in talking about my software company.” Chuckling under his breath, Leonard started to finally walk with him through the crowd toward the table that Pepper had claimed for them. Sighing with relief, Tony continued on. “So, who is she? Another model on your arm? What a lucky man you are to have such beautiful woman constantly by your side.”

“No, she’s an engineer actually and she definitely wouldn’t like to hear that about me.” Tony laughed and pretended to silence Leonard.

“I don’t often see many engineers who look quite like _that_.” Leonard was nothing short of amused.

“You never answered me when I asked where your fiancé was.” Tony drew the conversation away from Scarlett. He wanted strangers to know as little about her as possible, just in case anyone _was_ watching them at the event. No one else could be put in harm’s way if they didn’t know anything that was happening between them. Sometimes ignorance was the best defense.

“Oh yes, right… Mickey can’t be joining us tonight. She’s been tied up at work for the past week and I can’t seem to get much of her time lately!” Chuckling as though that was humorous for whatever reason Tony didn’t understand, Leonard smiled politely as they approached the table. His hands were trembling with excitement. There was no mistaking how tickled he was to be spending time with the brilliant Tony Stark.

“Tony can I have a moment of your time?” A woman’s voice from behind him made Tony cringe. Rolling his shoulders to keep from snapping, he turned around and shook his head in a negative way.

“I’m afraid someone else got to me first, Katherine, look for me later if you can.” Tony turned immediately away from the brunette who had been pursuing him. She was an older woman who simply looked like she had a few curious questions to ask him.

“Who was that?” Leonard peered over his shoulder at the woman, none too gracefully and nearly knocking his mask into Tony. “Another scientist?”

“No, no… she’s a socialite. She’s constantly trying to talk my ear off at these functions simply so she can be seen with me in public. For some people that means more than what my company does.” Tony smiled politely. “I do like you Leo, you’ve kept me entertained which is no mean feat. If you want to talk to my assistant, Miss Pepper Potts, at the table you can have her schedule a lunch. I’d do it myself but I’ve been doing this for so long that if Pepper doesn’t do it and nag me about it, I tend to forget to do it entirely.”

“Of course, I understand that. Plus I’d love the opportunity to speak with the famous Pepper Potts! What a lovely woman you have working for you, Tony. She’s a gem and very sweet if I recall from the few times I met her. You truly are a blessed man.” Leo couldn’t stop smiling.

“Yeah, she’s nice to everyone else so I don’t have to be.” Tony chuckled and started toward the table, trying to catch Scarlett’s eye. It seemed as though she was avoiding his glance on purpose now but he could spy a smile on her lips that he was sure was meant for him.

Scarlett had seen Tony get practically attacked be people once he’d gotten inside the hall and was partially grateful not to be a part of that since she was sure that Tony would try to parade her around as his date in front of them. Instead she’d sat talking with Pepper and Happy about the party and how beautifully it was decorated.

“You know, if they spent less on this charity event then perhaps they’d have more money for the charity itself.” Scarlett shrugged her shoulders seriously, eliciting a chuckle from both Happy and Pepper. Before she could continue to tell them that she was being serious and thought that this sort of grandeur from a company that was trying to raise money for something that appeared to have more than enough to spend on what was practically a gala, someone cleared their throat behind her.

Turning in her seat and expecting to see Tony there to annoy her and tell her she was supposed to sit in his lap or something equally ridiculous, she was surprised to see a different man entirely. He had piercing blue eyes just like hers and he was young and rather handsome with shaggy blond hair. He wore a simple black mask and held out his hand politely.

“I couldn’t help but notice you from across the room and was hoping that I might steal a few moments of your time for a dance.” Bowing his head respectfully he acknowledged the hand he had offered for her. Pepper had her lips pursed and observed the man curiously. Happy looked like he was about to speak but Pepper covered his mouth to keep him from making any snide remarks. Tony stopped a few feet from the table with Leo and watched the exchange. He was wondering what was going on but knew soon enough. Scarlett caught Tony’s glance and saw how desperately he wanted her to turn this debonair stranger down.

“Well, I guess since you asked so nicely.” Scarlett took the hand that was offered to her and threw a spiteful glance toward Tony before letting the young man lead her onto the dance floor. The man seemed oblivious of the people staring at him and led her away onto the center of the floor. Scarlett placed her hands politely on his shoulders and let him lead her around the dance floor, deciding it was best for her to concentrate on her footing considering how bad her leg had been. So far it’d held up in the heels pretty decently so she wasn’t worried but wasn’t prepared to take any chances.

“Can I ask your name?” The young man smiled down at her, charming and sweet. She was sure he was a player in his own right with looks like that.

“Scarlett, sweetheart, can I ask yours?” Laughing under her breath, she continued on the dance floor with the other couples moving along gracefully. It was a relief to be in the thick of the crowd and not to feel any anxiety the way she had the first night she’d gone out with Tony.

“Victor.” He bowed his head again as he twirled her around the dance floor. They continued their small talk as they moved gracefully together throughout the crowds of people who were joining them in the festivities.

Tony, on the other hand, was stewing and glaring at the two in annoyance as they danced together. Of course she’d done it on purpose to make him jealous. What other reason could there be?

“Tony, what are you thinking?” Pepper whispered once she’d realized he wasn’t making a move to take his seat as she had hoped that he would. “Oh, let her have her dance, she’s been cooped up in the house for days…” Draining his entire glass of champagne in one swallow, Tony set down his glass and the second one that he’d grabbed for Scarlett and walked away from the table without a word, leaving Leo and the others staring in confusion.

Walking around the other couples on the floor dancing, Tony snaked his way through the crowd until he found Scarlett dancing with her companion. Grabbing onto the man’s shoulder, interrupting while he was talking and clearly trying to impress Scarlett, he stopped their dancing.

“Do you mind if I cut in?” Tony cleared his throat and was surprised when the young man glared at him. Usually when he interrupted a stranger, they were either afraid of him or wanted to please him.

“I _do_ mind, actually.” He puffed out his chest, obviously not caring who Tony thought he was, and expecting a fight.

“Too bad.” Tony grabbed Scarlett’s arm and twirled her into his arms, much to their surprise. Without another word to Victor, he adjusted his arms around Scarlett and started to lead her across the floor. She immediately tried to make him stop and narrowed her eyes at him threateningly.

“I was busy with something, in case you didn’t notice.” Scarlett managed to keep Tony from twirling her around again.

“Dancing with the wrong guy, I _did_ notice.” Tony was grinning from ear to ear, slipping his arms around her again once she’d escaped from them.

“Well, that was short lived.” Scarlett squeezed out of his arms and started off of the dance floor.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Tony chased after her and stood in front of her to keep her from walking away.

“That young _gentleman_ asked me to dance _politely_ and you so very _rudely_ interrupted.” Scarlett rested a hand on her hip condescendingly.

“Are you implying that I’m _not_ a gentleman? I am one _hell_ of a gentleman if you ask me.” Tony continued to block her path as she attempted to get around him, clearly not wanting to dance with him again. After what had happened the last time the two had tried to dance together on their first night out she was worried about becoming that vulnerable again. It was true that she was going to try to get into his head, but if she was just as vulnerable as he was, how would she find the strength to not become further emotionally attached? She knew and admitted there was an emotional attachment at long last, but all she could do was try to figure out the truth before she found herself in too deep.

“And that’s why no one asks you what you think, Stark.” Scarlett laughed sardonically. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m trying to go sit down. I think I need a drink after that.”

“I was trying to _bring_ you a drink before you got up and started dancing with Jack Dawson over there.” Tony nodded to the young man who was still fuming over on the opposite side of the room.

“Well, now I’m going to go drink it.” Scarlett tried to walk around him again. Tony grabbed her arm and pulled her into his.

“Dance with me.” He grabbed her hand and pulled it close to his chest, whispering playfully.

“You’re making a scene, again.” She whispered as people stopped to look at them or tried to move around them since they were blocking other dancers.

“Just one little dance and I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the night.” Tony didn’t stop holding her tightly even though she tried to pull away once more.

“You’re such a liar.” Laughing, Scarlett tried to tug her arm away but found herself more entwined with him instead.

“I am, but still… I won’t bother you to dance again, how about that? That’s slightly more realistic.” Tony offered, letting go of her hands and holding his up innocently. “One dance, it’s all I ask. Scarlett, just one little dance.” With both hands he held up his index finger as if to demonstrate the number of dances he was requesting.

“It’s never _all_ you ask.” Scarlett hesitated then considered doing what Tony asked just to get him to shut up and stop making a scene. “… just one dance? And you’ll really drop it for the rest of the night?”

“One short little dance and then, like a _gentleman_ , I will lead you back to the table and get you a drink.” Tony pushed his hair back and then waited for her to respond again.

“Fine.” Grabbing his hand she slipped it onto her waist and then took his other hand in hers, resting her other ultimately on his shoulder. “But if you touch my ass at all, I’m going to _kick_ your ass in front of all of these people and you will _never_ live it down. It will be the day Iron Man got his ass kicked by a woman in heels.” Relieved she agreed, Tony exhaled after having realized he was holding his breath. When had he done that and why? It was just a dance, it wasn’t like it was doing him any favors. Leading her back onto the dance floor he smirked triumphantly.

“But that sounds like a _great_ headline.” Tony chuckled. Scarlett rolled her eyes at him but couldn’t stop her heart from pounding in her chest. Why was he so damn persistent? Why couldn’t he take her insults and go pout like any other man would do? Or call her a bitch like she so deserved to be called. Instead, he continued to harass her and lure her in with his charm, which she wasn’t sure was charm at all. If it was just the way he was on a day to day basis then how could it be considered charm? “For the record, I’m a perfect gentleman. If you had let this be a date, I would be wooing the hell out of you.”

“Stark, your house is more of a gentleman than you are.” Scarlett laughed, surprised at how light on his feet Tony was. Then again, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Scarlett shouldn’t have been shocked that he’d likely learned to dance at a young age. He’d probably kept up with it just so he could sweep women off of their feet since that seemed to be his second job for a good ten years or so there.

“You do know that Jarvis is modeled after _me,_ right?” Tony spoke knowingly, aware of how fond of the computerized home she’d become. If he hadn’t known better he would’ve thought the fondness was mutual.

“Bullshit.” Scarlett chuckled and Tony joined her.

“He is, no kidding. He’s just got way more restrictions than I do.” Smirking, Tony led her on the dance floor, inching her closer and closer to him as he did so. He slipped his arm onto her lower back rather than her hip forcing her to be nearly pressed up against him.

“I’ll believe it when I find similarities, outside of sarcasm, between the two of you.” Scarlett glanced around the room, determined to look anywhere else but at Tony. She spied the man she’d been dancing with staring at the two of them in annoyance. Biting her lip in a smile, she half expected him to interrupt but she didn’t want him to. Dancing with Tony, while it grated on her nerves, made her feel like she was flying and she didn’t want to stop.

“Every man in this room wants you.” Tony leaned to whisper in her ear, finally getting her attention. Scarlett looked up at him, seeing those multicolored brown and green eyes sparkling with mischief as they often did.

“No, Tony.” Scarlett smiled softly at him and didn’t bother making attempts to pull away from him as they danced. Instead she slipped her hand onto the back of his neck and leaned closer to him. “Only one does.” The music was starting to die down and people were applauding the band. Tony was at a loss for words. Not only had she used his first name for once, but she’d practically called him out.

Unaware that the music had stopped, Tony stood there with her in his arms and simply stared at her. Should he kiss her? Why did he always hesitate when it came to making his move? There was something about the way she was looking at him that told him she was waiting for it but instead he hesitated and kept her trapped in his arms.

“Stark, the song is over…” Whispering, Scarlett broke the tense gaze and stared around the room. Once again people were watching them because they were doing something awkward and out of the ordinary in a crowd filled with people who strived to fit in. Tony didn’t seem to care that the song was over. He tilted her chin up to look at him again.

For a brief moment, Scarlett thought she was going to be sick. If he kissed her in front of all of those people what would it mean? If he didn’t what else would it mean? If she let him then what the hell was wrong with her? And why on earth did she _want_ him to do it? The thought was making her head spin but the urge to kiss him became overwhelming just as it had been once they’d cleaned up her wound at the facility in the desert.

Dizzy with confusion she pulled from his arms and cleared her throat.

“Excuse me, I have to powder my nose.” It was the stupidest excuse she’d ever heard and sounded even stupider as it came out of her mouth, but it was all she could think of with her brain muddled by thoughts of Tony. His eyes, his lips, his smiled, the way he cleared his throat it was all getting to her and making her dizzy. Before Tony could object and pull her back, Scarlett rushed off the dance floor and toward the doors on the eastern side of the room that led through a long hallway and to restrooms that had been opened for the event.

Tony watched Scarlett walk away and realized that, once again, he’d forgotten to breathe. Sighing heavily once the door had closed behind her, he rubbed his hand over the side of his face, feeling the mask still there. Why was he hesitating? He wanted her more than he could ever recall wanting anyone before in his life. But he didn’t want to mess up the one chance he had. Was that it? He was afraid of screwing things up the way he’d screwed them up in the past with anyone he’d gotten close to? Every relationship he’d had crashed and burned in a handful of weeks and the last thing he wanted to do was have Scarlett walk out the door.

Walking finally off the dance floor and back to his table, he grabbed the glass of champagne he’d gotten for Scarlett and drank the whole thing in one gulp as he’d done before he’d interrupted her dance. Rubbing his hand over the mask on his face once more he sat down next to Scarlett’s empty seat and next to Leonard.

“What was that all about?” Leonard stared at Tony in confusion. Clearly the group had been watching them on the dance floor, like they were some television drama that they were waiting for some romantic action from.

“He likes her.” Pepper answered when Tony made no attempt to. Snapping his head away from the door to the restroom and his mind away from having contemplated going to the restroom himself so he could bump into Scarlett in the privacy of the hallway, he turned his attention to his assistant.

“No, she’s a liability.” Tony cleared his throat but he still sounded out of it. “I got caught up in the thrill of wearing these masks. You know… playing strangers. It’s pretty sexy.” Tony glanced back at the door to the restroom. “Hey, can I get something stronger? This champagne is not doing it for me.” Tony waved his glass to one of the waiters who was on his way to refill the champagne glasses that he’d emptied. 

“It sure doesn’t look like that was all it was.” Leonard was staring at him with wide eyes and hoping that the woman would come back from the restroom soon to provide them with some more entertainment.

“Pepper, she’s been in there a bit too long now don’t you think? Would you uh, go make sure she’s okay?” Tony changed the subject. He’d spent longer than he’d expected to staring forlornly at the door. Was it really as obvious to everyone else what was going on when he was so clearly confused by it? It felt like he’d broken his brain, for once. As much of a genius as he was he was struggling with the seemingly simple interactions with Scarlett.

“Tony, they’re about to start the presentation and I’ve got all your supplies for making a donation. Just let her have some privacy. She probably needs to freshen up a bit and for all we know her leg is bothering her or something. You can’t be on top of her _all_ the time and don’t you dare make a dirty joke about that, I just saw where that could go as I said it.” Pepper scolded but there was amusement behind her eyes.

“That’s all the more reason that someone should go and check on her. What if her leg gave out again and she needs some help?” Then he whispered and looked at his assistant suspiciously. “…I see how much you’re enjoying this, cut it out.”

“I’ll go check on her for you.” Happy smiled pleasantly, standing up and pulling the Mark V armor he had handcuffed to his wrist with him. It had become standard practice for the driver to safeguard Tony’s armor when they went to public functions, ever since they’d been attacked in Monaco.

“Thank you Hogan.” Tony heaved a sigh and leaned back in his chair again. The waiter returned with a bottle of their finest Cabernet and poured Tony a glass of it. It wouldn’t take him long to finish the whole bottle on his own at that rate.


	21. Causing a Scene

Scarlett hurried out of the ballroom, into the hallway and as far away from Tony Stark as she could get without leaving the building. In case Tony followed her she didn’t stop to see where she was. The last thing she wanted now was to be in an enclosed space with him after such a close call. Her heart was racing, her palms were sweaty and everything in her thoughts was telling her to run. Sick to her stomach as she’d been on several occasions over the last few days, she rushed until she saw a sign for the ladies’ room. Hurrying into the bathroom she closed the door behind her and then turned on the faucet for the cold water in the middle sink against the long counter in front of a pristine mirror surrounded by lights, much like there would be on an old vanity.

Leaning both hands on the counter on either side of the sink, Scarlett stared down at the running water and exhaled one again, having realized she was holding her breath. How many times had she done that in the last hour? She’d lost count. Was Tony feeling the same conflict she was? Is that why he hadn’t kissed her when he’d had the chance? This was what she wanted wasn’t it? To have Tony practically begging to have her. Why was it sending her into such a panic when she had been planning on seducing Tony all along? Resting a hand on her chest she could feel her heart racing faster than it should. Maybe she was still sick from the wound on her leg. That had to be it; her mind wouldn’t allow her to think it was anything more.

“Really, Scarlett?” Looking up at herself in the mirror she was suddenly aware of the mask that Tony had picked out for her. She’d forgotten it was there while they’d been dancing. “You’re so desperate not to see the truth that you’ll make any excuse to avoid it, won’t you?” Reaching behind her head she untied the mask and set it down on the counter. Letting the water pool in her hands she splashed the cold liquid on her face in hopes of feeling rejuvenated, calmed and renewed. It only did enough to renew her senses and little else for her shot nerves. Her stomach was still twisted in knots.

But what was the truth she was trying so hard to avoid? What exactly was happening between her and Tony and why was she so unwilling to see it? That she could answer and easily at that. She had three thousand reasons to hate Tony Stark and want him dead and only a handful of reasons to defend him with. Not to mention, most of those reasons were ones her logical brain kept rejecting. What was she hoping to get out of this if not her revenge? A relationship? Romance? With the king of the womanizers? How ridiculous a notion that was particularly with someone like her. But what did _that_ mean? Did she not deserve to be happy? Had she even considered it a possibility? Abandoning thoughts of her own issues she considered Tony’s. Scarlett hadn’t seen a single woman on Tony’s arm outside of herself since she’d woken up. But perhaps he was only avoiding doing so because she was there.

Somehow she knew none of that was true. The man that Tony Stark had once been had faded into rumor and conjecture. The man he’d become was someone overshadowed by the press he’d surrounded himself with for the last fifteen years at the very least. Now that she’d seen the man behind the metaphorical mask she had a hard time swallowing her pride on the matter. If she was wrong about what he was, then what else was she wrong about? It was like opening the proverbial can of worms.

Walking the short distance to grab a hand towel from the neatly folded pile on the far side of the counter, she wiped the remaining water off of her face and then rung it out in her hands even though there was little water to get rid of. Scarlett had never been good at relationships because it required giving up more than just control over her own life. It required her to give up her wants for the needs of another which had never been her strong suit. It was nearly impossible to give up the things you desire when you weren’t sure what desire you’d have when you woke up each day. 

Even what she’d had with Scott had been simply out of obligation. It was why things had never been quite right between them. She’d never managed to let go of her pride and even though she’d promised to try, she had never been able to put her selfish wants and desires behind what she knew was best for her relationship with him. But she hadn’t wanted a relationship at all. Her heart had never fluttered for Scott he way that it did for Tony.

Before she could contemplate the notion of a failed relationship with Tony further she heard the door to the bathroom open behind her. Glancing to the door curiously, she stopped short when three men, dressed in black suits, came into the room each with a black mask covering their face to obscure their features. Something told her they were most certainly not there for the masquerade. Giving them the once over in the mirror in hopes of not seeming suspicious she noted that the one on the left had a syringe in his hand filled with a clear liquid. That did not bode well.

Of _course_ they’d come for her. She’d known that going out was a bad idea somewhere deep down and had done it anyway. Why would MedCo care if they were in a crowded place? Crowds were _always_ the best cover and she knew that. She’d made herself vulnerable when she’d gone off on her own but she hadn’t been thinking clearly at the time. Shifting her weight on her leg she felt it sting in annoyance but not badly enough to keep her from being able to protect herself. If she could get back into the crowd she’d find safety in numbers.

“It probably wouldn’t do me much good to let you boys know this is the ladies’ room, would it?” Turning off the faucet, Scarlett heaved a sigh and leaned against the counter, shaking her head. When she saw the man in the middle reach for his gun she knew instantly her window of opportunity was starting to slam shut. “I didn’t think so.”

Tony stared at the door to the hallway in hopes that Scarlett would return from them with Happy soon. Suddenly things didn’t seem so interesting, at least not without Scarlett there. Leonard was talking on and on about one of the papers that Tony had written in his youth when he’d gone to MIT at an early age. It was nice to know that the man admired his work enough to have gone back that far but Tony had flown through his studies with such ease back then that he barely recalled any of the papers that he’d written.

“Where’s the waiter, I need more wine. My bottle runeth dry.” Tony yawned and turned back toward the table. Pepper was looking around nervously and then swatted Tony’s arm when someone started walking onto the stage. This was Tony’s least favorite part of charity events. Some manipulative jerk would get up on a stage and give three thousand reasons for the people in the crowd to donate money to a cause. Instead of saying outright what they needed and what they were hoping for they would manipulate and use guilt as a ploy to motivate people to hand over their hard earned money. 

Glancing around the room at the handful of wealthy socialites who had been invited simply because of social status, Tony only felt bad for the ones who had _actually_ worked for their money. And even then he didn’t care enough to do anything about it. Just like he did, the others invited to the event knew what they were getting into when they came.

“What was that?” Pepper whispered, looking around curiously. Tony looked up from the spot on the table he’d been tapping with his fingers.

“What was _what?_ ” He muttered, bored. The man on the stage was still speaking about the foundation and the research in particle physics that needed funding.

“You didn’t feel that?” Pepper whispered, trying not to draw attention to them or seem rude because she was talking during the man’s speech. Several other people in the room were looking around curiously as well, though not enough for it to seem out of the ordinary. Pepper couldn’t tell if they’d felt the same thing she had or if they were just bored like Tony was.

“Feel what? Pepper, have you had too much champagne? You always were a lightweight.” Tony whispered in amusement. Scarlett still hadn’t come back and now Happy hadn’t returned either. Whatever was going on in the hallway seemed far more interesting than the nonsense that was happening in the ballroom. 

“The ground just shook…” Pepper whispered and turned to Leonard in hopes that he could back her up. When he shrugged his shoulders and looked as befuddled and skeptical as Tony did she sighed in frustration. “Just forget about it. It must have been nothing.”

“Forgotten.” Tony tapped the table again and then thanked the waiter when he brought his wine glass refilled back to him. “Thank you…” Once the glass was set down on the table it fell over as the table shook violently. The ground had trembled for a moment as though something heavy had been dropped nearby. Standing up instantly to avoid the dripping red wine getting on his tuxedo he noticed that several other glasses around the room had tipped over so it hadn’t just been him. “Okay, now that… _that_ I felt.” Tony wagged his finger at Pepper and searched around for the source of the shaking.

The man on the stage was telling no one to panic and making everyone aware that he’d sent some people to investigate the disturbance. Soon he started to assure people that there was likely just some construction down the road. Tony’s stomach started to churn. Something bad was about to happen and he wasn’t sure what. There was no way that shaking was caused by something down the road. Whatever had caused the ground to tremble beneath them was close and something told him it was menacing.

“Maybe they _are_ doing some construction nearby. I saw there’s a rather extensive forest nearby, perhaps there’s construction!” Leonard theorized, trying to help settle the crowd that had started to panic.

“No, we wouldn’t have felt it like that.” Tony waved his hand at Leonard, his hand on his chin as he tried to think of what could’ve caused it. Worry was turning into dread and he suddenly knew he had to go and find Scarlett and Happy. The shaking had been in such close proximity he was wondering if something happened to them that had caused the tremor.

“Tony what if it’s an earthquake?” Pepper sounded panicked at the notion and had gotten to her feet.

“It wouldn’t happen like that Pepper, use your brain. This is happening in short bursts, not like an earthquake. That’s if you, in fact, didn’t hallucinate the shaking before. It seems oddly coincidental that you would make something like that up only seconds before it actually happened. Unless you’re developing some extra sensory perception now and in that case you can be a super hero with me.” Wincing, Tony recoiled when Pepper smacked him with her purse. “Hey, not my fault you’re not thinking clearly…” Drifting off, Tony felt the ground shake again, this time far more severely. The chandeliers overhead clanked and shook dangerously. If Tony didn’t know better he’d say that the tremors sounded like footsteps rather than anything else. It seemed ludicrous but the pattern felt like steps.

“What _is_ that?” Leonard stayed behind Tony, looking curiously toward the stage but also seeming to realize that something sinister was going on. Security guards had started to urge people toward the entrance to the building for evacuation. The man on the stage was assuring everyone that the procedure was just precautionary and once they were sure everything was alright they would be led back inside to continue the festivities.

“…I don’t know.” Tony whispered, pulling the mask off of his face and throwing it onto the table. When he felt the plague doctor mask hit him in the back as it had done several times while he’d been waiting for Scarlett, he turned and pulled it off of Leonard’s face as well. Before Tony could instruct Pepper or Leonard to do anything the windows aligning the far edge of the room, overlooking the gardens, cracked and split like someone had applied too much pressure.

With the arrival of the earsplitting sound of gunfire the windows gave into the pressure applied and shattered one by one. Tony turned his back on the scene, grabbed Pepper and Leonard and threw them to the ground then dropped down himself and threw his hands over his head just in case. The windows were all the way across the room but with the force applied to the glass panes he had no idea how far the shrapnel was going to fly. When the sound of shattering glass passed and the clinking of it landing against the marble floor ceased, Tony got back up and turned around. The ground was consistently trembling every few seconds now and he _knew_ it was from the footsteps of something massive.

Through the broken windows stomped four incredibly large and heavily armed unmanned drones. The entirety of the ballroom stood still with baited breath in awe of what was appearing in front of them. A cold chill washed down Tony’s spine. He _knew_ they were there for him without having to guess. These robots that had come after him were some of the most sophisticated he’d seen produced. What villain would send them to a charity crowded with innocent people? How heartless could they be and what was it they wanted from him? Closing his eyes for a moment he tried not to consider the body count that would follow what came next. It was harder to wash away the guilt when he saw faceless bodies lying dead on the ground in the darkness of his mind.

Gunshots rang through the ballroom echoing overhead and seeming more sinister than they had when they’d broken the glass of the windows. The drones weren’t aiming at the civilians but rather above them. It seemed like they were giving off warning shots. Maybe they weren’t out for a bloodbath after all.

“Everyone run! Run, don’t hesitate for a moment! Get out! _Get out!_ ” Tony stepped forward and yelled over the crowd. While it wasn’t the best idea to draw attention to himself, he knew that if he didn’t yell some instructions then no one was going to take charge. The man on the stage had jumped off when the glass had broken and was panicking just as badly as the people around him. If there was one thing Tony was good at, it was taking charge.

The gunfire continued and people started to run out of the room, heeding Tony’s orders once it had been given time to sink in. Turning to Pepper and Leonard who looked panicked but prepared to follow orders, he whispered.

“They’re here for me. I don’t know how I can guarantee you that, but that seems to be the trend when giant robots show up. They’re after _me_. I need my suit… then I need you to get these people out of here.” Before Tony could continue something creaked loudly overhead. One of the chandeliers nearby had taken too much damage to its support and was starting to collapse. “Get down! Get the hell down! Cover your head!” Tony yelled and dove to the floor again, further away from the chandelier. Pepper screamed in surprise and hid under the nearest table. Leonard dove near Tony, clearly ready to follow his orders since he seemed to know how to handle such dire situations.

With a loud crash and the shattering of crystal fixtures, the chandelier fell and crushed a table nearby. People were screaming so loudly that on top of the gunfire Tony could barely concentrate or focus.

“Tony! Tony! Where are you? Are you okay?” Pepper was screaming from underneath the table once the chandelier had finished causing damage. Scrambling to his feet, one hand still on the ground, Tony hurried to the table where his assistant’s voice came from and grabbed her arm and tugged her free from the half crushed table.

“Potts, I need my suit. Where’s my suit?” Tony shouted seriously, trying to simultaneously get Pepper to calm down and to concentrate on the matter at hand. Pepper was shaking with fear, even her freckles seemed pale. “I need you to concentrate for just long enough to tell me where the suit is. Did we leave it in the Bentley?”

“Happy…” Pepper’s voice was trembling and cracking but she was finally managing to breathe and calm down. “Happy has it on him and you sent him off to find Scarlett and neither one of them has come back… oh god, do you think something’s happened to them? Tony! Tony, tell me that they’re okay!” Pepper grabbed onto Tony’s arms and looked at him pleadingly in hopes of finding some relief.

“Hell…” Tony muttered under his breath but before he could tell Pepper what his next move was the sound of the drones coming closer and the whistling of bullets nearby distracted his thoughts. “Take cover!” Tony shoved Pepper to the side who did as she was told, hiding behind one of the nearby pillars that supported the vaulted ceiling. Tony hurried toward the main exit, realizing that Leonard was right behind him and not hiding from the gunfire as Tony had instructed him to.

“I’m here to help Tony. Tell me what you need me to do and I’ll do it.” He yelled over the sound of gunfire nearby.

“I need you to _get out_ of here! This isn’t safe for you. I won’t have your blood on my hands, Leo!” Tony shouted, trying to keep an eye on the drones, Pepper, and the hallway across the room where he was still hoping Scarlett and Happy would emerge, but now for entirely different reasons.  
“You’re _not_ Iron Man right now. You need all the help you can get. I may not be as young as you are but I’m not on my way to the home yet.” Leonard scolded, sounding far stronger than Tony had expected him to.

“No offense grandpa but I don’t think you’re doing me that much good. You’re just another casualty to keep my eye on.” Tony couldn’t help but smirk as he spoke but continued toward the door. “Everyone get out before they block anymore exits. If this collapses go out the broken windows through the garden!” Tony shouted, and much to his surprise instead of continuing to destroy the room and block the exits as he’d expected them to do one of the drones came right toward them and started firing. Tony grabbed Leonard’s arm and ducked low then crawled out of the way. The targeting systems of the drones were either inefficient or they weren’t aiming to kill. What could they be distracting him from if anything? Were the drones not there to _kill_ him but rather to just keep him busy? 

Tony didn’t have time to think out his theory further. A second drone came at him and slammed his metallic fist into the ground near Tony. If he hadn’t rolled out of the way just in time it would’ve smashed right into him. He reconsidered that maybe their targeting system was just faulty or inefficient because if he hadn’t moved out of the way his internal organs, at the very least, would’ve been ruptured.

Getting up and leaping forward as another fist smashed and created a crater in the ground beneath him, Tony breathed a sigh of relief that he’d been missed again. Without his suit he couldn’t even buy himself some time to try and find a weakness on the drones. If he had his suit on him he could just blow them all to hell or at least lure them away from civilians. But no, Happy was missing and he was left risking his skin.

“Tony, here!” Leonard hurried over to him. The older man had a scrape on his face, like he’d taken a blow but was obviously willing to help him. Reaching to take the hand that was offered to him, Tony was surprised that when he tried to get up something had a hold on his leg. Before he could look down at the source he was pulled off of his feet and fell face first onto the ground.

Leonard scattered forward and grabbed his arm to try and pull him out of the drone’s clutches but was thrown back by another one of the drones that had come to block off the entrance as Tony had expected them too initially. “I guess it’s too late to tell him to run.” Tony groaned and tried to wiggle free of the drone’s clutches. Luckily it seemed like most people were steering clear of the drones and searching for other exits. Rolling onto his back to get a better look at what had him captured, Tony realized that all four of the drones seemed to be focused on him. Wherever he’d gone, the machines had followed and started creating chaos. Kicking at the robotic hand he curled up in hopes of reaching the metallic fingers.

He could see exposed wires and hoped he could pull on them and at the very least disable them so he would be able to get his foot free and take cover. If he could find loose wires on each of the drones then he could at least buy them enough time to find Happy and get his suit back. That was if Happy and Scarlett were alright at all.

But before Tony could reach the wires on the armored hand of the drone it tugged him and waved him through the air. Upside down and starting to get nauseous from being flung around Tony tried to gather his focus. He could hear Pepper yelling to him but he couldn’t concentrate on his surroundings for long enough to find where she was yelling from or what she was saying.

After managing to fight off a wave of nausea he strained his muscles so that he could lean his torso upward from his hanging upside down position. With a swift tug he grabbed onto the wires he’d seen and tugged as hard as he could. A handful of the wires came free and sent a shock through Tony’s arm that made him twitch. The robot swung his arm wildly but his fingers seemed to be disabled because Tony was free. Unfortunately he’d gotten free mid-swing and was now flying across the room.

Holding his arms over his face and head defensively he smashed into one of the nearby tables which cracked and fell over beneath his weight and rolled on top of him. Groaning and laying still on the ground for a second to gather his bearings Tony kicked the table off of him and managed to push it to the side when it stubbornly refused to move off of him.

Leaning up he saw the world spinning around him and put a hand to his head to try and shake off the dizziness and regain his equilibrium. The wires from the drone were still in his hand and the casing was flaking. He wondered what kind of an engineer would build such a sophisticated machine with such cheap and poorly constructed pieces. Tony pocketed the wires in hopes of identifying the construction of the drones after he’d managed escape.

“I regret all that wine now.” Tony muttered but then felt someone grab his arm and nearly retaliated angrily. Pepper was standing next to him and tugging on him to try and get him to cover. “Didn’t I tell you to run like ten minutes ago?”

“I am not going to leave you here on your own, Tony!” Pepper looked at him in disbelief. “Now come on, Leonard is still over by the main entrance! The drones knocked him down when he tried to help you and they aren’t waiting for you to feel steady before they come after you again. We need to grab Leonard and get out of here!” 

“Have I mentioned that you might be my favorite assistant?” Tony steadied himself on his feet with Pepper’s help and stumbled, blinking away his dizziness. The main entrance was caved in and so was the door to the hallway that Scarlett and Pepper had gone through. If the targeting system was such a joke then how had the drones known exactly where to hit over the doorways to keep from compromising the structural integrity of the building?

“I’m the only one that will put up with you and you know it.” Pepper managed a laugh through all the chaos.

“I think you’re finally learning how to deal with this.” Tony laughed and let Pepper guide him back toward where Leonard was lying against the wall, blood dripping from his forehead and his glasses broken on his face. He was pale and looked worse for wear. The crack in the wall behind him led them to believe that he’d taken quite the blow. 

“No, I’m just starting to see the humor in how ridiculous this is.” Pepper checked Leonard’s pulse and found it slow and uneven. “Tony he’s in trouble, we need to get him out of here before it gets worse.”

“The only exits left I see available are through the windows that the drones broke earlier. They can’t block those off without taking down the roof and something tells me they’re not willing to do that.” A loud crashing sound on the western side of the room forced them to look up. The integrity of the building was starting to wane. The balcony on that end of the room came crashing down as the pillars supporting it gave way beneath it. Luckily it seemed to provide the perfect cover for them.

“Well then, we need to hide until we can get to them! Tony they’re after _you._ You need to escape and get somewhere safe as fast as you can!” Pepper whispered, brow furrowed. Tony slipped his arm beneath Leonard’s and lifted him up the best he could. After that failed him he lifted the man in a fireman’s hold and started toward the downed balcony. His shoulder stung from the wounds he’d sustained the other day when he’d fought the men in black suits on the highway. He had various new scrapes and bruises, but the adrenaline and shock of the situation was allowing him not to feel them.

“I’m not _running,_ Pepper. Happy and Scarlett are in here somewhere alone and I’m not leaving without them just because these assholes are after me!” Tony managed to dodge the gunfire from the drones that had targeted him once again. Shaking his head he contemplated what to do. Other people were still trapped in the room, either too panicked to escape or injured and panicked. If he could have Pepper guide them out then perhaps he’d be able to provide a diversion for at least a little while. 

Unfortunately his assistant was right; there wasn’t much he could do. Eventually he’d be overwhelmed by the giant robots and would be killed if he didn’t run away. Without his suit he was of no use in such situations. Once behind the collapsed balcony, Tony set Leonard down and started searching the area to make sure that the rubble they’d taken refuge beneath was stable enough for them to remain there without worry of it collapsing and crushing them.

Pepper tore part of her scarf that accented her dress and started to wipe the blood off of Leonard’s forehead to get to the wound so she could judge its severity. She’d dealt with enough of Tony’s wounds in the past that she could at least create a rudimentary bandage to stop the bleeding and hopefully find some alcohol to rouse the man’s consciousness.

“Tony without your suit you’re just a civilian like the rest of us. You’re not _safe_! Let the police handle it for once! You’re not doing anyone any favors! You’re going to get yourself killed. Then what use will you be to Scarlett and Happy?” Pepper looked pleadingly at her boss while she held the cloth to the wound on Leonard’s head.

“We need to get everyone out of here.” Tony spoke seriously, ignoring Pepper’s quip about how he was powerless to stop the drones. He refused to believe that there was nothing he could do. Even without his armor he was Tony Stark. If the most brilliant engineering mind in the world couldn’t stop a bunch of robots without his suit of armor then who could? The self doubt that had gripped him seconds ago was fading. He’d disabled one of the hands so if he could continue to disable the drones little by little, eventually he’d have an advantage.

“We do. You’re right, the windows are our best bet. Tony, I don’t know how we’re going to get Leonard out of here though. You’re too slow with him on your back. Those drones will pick you up before you make a quarter of the way across the room. We got lucky getting under here.” Pepper furrowed her brow, clearly thinking that Tony had gotten the point she’d been trying to make.

“You’re right. I am to slow. We’ll have to keep him here for now.” Tony peered out from where they were hiding and saw the drones searching around for him. The gunfire had at least finally stopped while they spent time searching for him. People were taking to the windows but some were too terrified to escape. Glancing once again at the entrance to the hallway on the left side of the room he saw that it was too obstructed by debris for him to have any hopes of getting through it to the other side. The only way he’d manage to get to that area of the building would be to go outside and break through one of the windows. But if he went outside then so would the drones and that was where he’d sent everyone to safety. No, Tony knew what he needed to do and steeled his nerves to get it done.

“Tony what are you doing? What are you thinking?” Pepper whispered, sensing the sudden tension coming off of her boss. She wanted to prevent him from doing anything stupid, but history would lead her to believe that she wasn’t capable of stopping him once he had his mind set on something.

“You get Leonard to safety. Then guide the others out through the back window.” He spoke quietly, not wanting to be overheard. He wasn’t sure if Pepper could carry the bulkier man but he had a feeling she could at least drag him or get someone to help.

“Tony, if you think that I’m letting you stay here by yourself…” Pepper immediately started to argue, worry gripping her again.

“Pepper they’re after _me_. If you stay with me then you become a target too.” Tony hissed and slammed his wrist against the collapsed rubble that he’d earlier decided was stable enough to form their cover.

“How do you know I’m not _already_ a target? What if they come after me anyway like they did in that night club? I’m not leaving you here alone!” Pepper reasoned, trying to keep her voice at a whisper but was having a very hard time doing that when she was in such a panic. Her voice became shrill and higher pitched.

“They didn’t target you after I ran off to help people get out the front door. They followed _me_. You need to get out of here because you can.” One hand on the edge of the rubble they’d climbed underneath, Tony managed to calm his breathing and find his center. If he could keep his wits about him and his energy up, then he could do this. 

“Tony, don’t do it!” Pepper shouted more urgently, fear thick in her voice for what would become of her friend and boss. Before she could grab him or object further, Tony ran from beneath the rubble and out into shattered remains of the ballroom.

Scarlett turned away from the mirror and held both of her hands up defensively at her sides. She was unarmed and knew that her advantage would be in playing along until she _was_ armed. Taking a deep breath she offered them a kind smile but behind it her mind was working overtime. Each man was armed with what looked like a handgun and likely a knife. At least she knew that’s what she would be carrying if the tables were turned.

“I’m sure you don’t want to cause a scene here, right? So I’ll come quietly as long as you put that nasty syringe away.” Scarlett reassured them. The men didn’t seem to trust her and with good reason. It was a shame that they were already aware of just how quietly she was likely to come.

The man in the middle with the gun in his hand slipped it back into his holster after he spent a moment contemplating what to do with her. Grabbing a pair of handcuffs from his belt he unhooked them and started toward Scarlett who held her hands in front of her close to her chest.

“I said I’d come quietly… no need to play rough with me.” Scarlett batted her eyelashes. That was one thing Scarlett was incredibly skilled at. She was aware of how feminine she was and saw absolutely no harm in using it to her advantage. In the span of things it wasn’t a very important trait to her, even if she did work hard to maintain her appearance. It was just another tool she’d been provided with to do her job. And now was no different than any other time she’d used it.

She could see the amusement and desire in the eyes of the man in front of her. When he got closer to her and held the cuffs out as if offering to let her do it herself, she smirked. Every hired goon seemed the same. Under sexed and overpaid. It was amazing what a man would insinuate with a suggestive smile and the batting of her eyelashes.

When he got as close as he could get to her without touching her she straightened her back and narrowed her eyes at him. Her smile faded and she grabbed onto the wrist that held the cuffs and twisted it as hard as she could. The cuffs dropped from his hand and onto the marble floor.

“Sorry, but I don’t play submissive without a good fight.” Gritting her teeth Scarlett adjusted her fingers on the man’s wrist until she found the gap between his bones then twisted hard. He screamed in agony. The man to his right started toward her. Ducking down suddenly and bringing the man she had a grip on with her, the second man only grabbed onto the air above her clumsily. The man she held onto was fumbling sloppily for his gun while yelling a string of curse words at her.

“You bitch! You broke my hand! You broke my hand!” Scarlett finally let go of his wrist, crawled under where he was hunched over and grabbed the gun from the holster that was already unfastened. Sliding backwards beneath him she scrambled to her feet.

“I broke your _wrist_ you imbecile.” Turning the safety off on the handgun, checking the clip to see how many rounds she had, Scarlett aimed toward the men and hoped to gain leverage. But the man on the left with the syringe had moved after the man on the right had faltered. In one hand he had his knife and the other he held the syringe. He sliced at her and she jumped backwards, falling through the door of the handicap stall. The gun slipped out of Scarlett’s hand the clip falling somewhere further away since she hadn’t managed to get it loaded back into the gun before the third man had come after her.

Cursing under her breath, Scarlett pushed the bottom of her dress out of her way and stumbled to her feet in her heels. Resting her hands at her sides she prepared herself for whatever the man’s next move was.

Not thinking, he rushed forward, knife first toward Scarlett. Grabbing onto the door of the stall she pulled it closed and trapped his hand between the door and the stall. Giving the door another smash against his arm the knife was forced out of his hands and onto the ground. When he howled in pain and frustration she let go of the door and gave it as hard a kick as she could muster. The door flew open and smashed straight into the man behind it. 

When it swung open as the man stepped backwards, Scarlett grabbed the hand he held the syringe in and pulled him inside the stall with her. Hurrying, she locked the door to the stall. Just as she did the man gathered his wits and shoved her backwards into the wall, putting all of his weight on her stomach with his back. Still holding tightly onto his arm she twisted it around his neck and used his own weight to try and choke him.

He struggled and smashed his weight back into her again. Head smashing against the wall Scarlett ignored the stars she saw and slid her hand onto his wrist. She squeezed the base of it near the mass of tendons there and forced his hand to release its grip on the syringe. Taking a risk of being overpowered, she let go of his hand and grabbed the syringe.

In his moment of freedom, he turned to face her and threw his weight at her, knocking them both to the ground. Scarlet kept her grip tight on the syringe and wrapped her legs around her attacker’s waist. Her right leg was throbbing painfully but she reminded herself that it could be dealt with at a time when someone wasn’t trying to drug her and take her captive. Using the strength in her legs she forced herself on top of the man, pushing him onto his back before he could hit her as he’d intended.

Without hesitation she plunged the syringe into the side of his neck and pushed the plunger down as far as it would go. Within seconds the man was unconscious beneath her on the floor. Pulling the syringe free of his neck she threw it into the open toilet as she climbed off of him and readjusted her dress. Corsets and chiffon weren’t exactly what she would’ve picked to fight off a gang of kidnappers in, but it was holding up fairly well considering.

Giving the man a kick in his side for good measure Scarlett turned to the door and threw it open in hopes of knocking anyone on the other side back. She wouldn’t give them the opportunity to draw their guns or knives on her. If she kept attacking without hesitation she was likely to get out of her confined space with minimal injury.

The man whose wrist she had broken came running at her, but he was clumsy, angry and still cursing at her. She dodged him and kicked his backside so he would fall into the stall she’d just come out of and on top of the ally she’d drugged.

Spinning around, Scarlett was just in time to feel the third man lifting her up. Squealing in surprise Scarlett grabbed onto his coat in hopes of preventing him from throwing her. Unfortunately she wasn’t fast enough and was thrown straight through the bathroom door. It splintered at first then swung open under the force of the throw combined with her weight. Sliding against the ground, Scarlett felt her shoulder scrape against it. She came to a stop just before the wall and didn’t bother to take a moment to recover.

A moment of hesitation could be the end of her given how outnumbered she was. Scattering to her feet, surprised that her heels were still intact after the fall, she leaned heavily against it to gather her breath. The ground was shaking and the building was creaking like something heavy was collapsing nearby. Glancing around she couldn’t see what the source was but instinctively ducked when she heard the rapid fire of a machinegun. When no bullets whistled by or struck her she realized the gunfire was in the other room, but not for long. The man from the bathroom had drawn his gun and was cocking it. She could hear it on the other side of the door.

“Scarlett! What are you doing down there? What’s going on?” Happy was running toward her. The man from the bathroom had made his way into the hallway and was distracted by the appearance of Tony Stark’s driver.

“Happy, duck!” Scarlett widened her eyes and got down herself, unsure who the man with the gun would fire at first.

Just in time Happy got down on his knees and held the suitcase that contained Tony’s portable Mark V armor as a gunshot rang out and a bullet meant for Happy had ricocheted off of the metal casing.

Now Scarlett would have to take care of a civilian in her struggles. Maybe she could get Happy to run away so that she could at least have one less thing to concern herself with. Scrambling once again to her feet, she wiped the blood from her lip that split in her fall and prepared herself for the continued fight.


	22. Deadlines

Chaos was an incredibly drastic understatement for what Tony experienced as he ran across the ballroom. The drones were right on his tail no matter how quickly he ran or how cleverly he maneuvered through overturned tables and piles of debris. To be fair, there weren’t many suitable places to hide throughout the lengthy ballroom, particularly since the drones had seen it fit to destroy nearly all the exits and to make a mess out of the once beautiful dining area. Tony had initially planned to distract the drones so that he could allow enough time for the guests to make it to safety out the back window, but it turned out that not all of the guests were following what common sense would dictate.

Many guests were too afraid to leave the safety of their hiding places beneath tables that had been thrown aside or cowering in corners to avoid gunfire. Not to mention, every time that Tony thought he was in the clear and would have time to think he wound up dodging another spray of gunfire from one of the other three drones that pursued him. Out of breath, Tony ducked in the now narrow alcove of the main entrance next to the debris that had been pushed in the way to block any escape attempts he may have planned to make. His chest was aching from the lack of oxygen and his hands were scraped up and pained from multiple attempts he’d been forced to make to catch himself.

There had to be a better way for him to help people get to safety than getting by on blind luck. Even his attempts to steer the drones clear of the innocent bystanders hadn’t seemed to keep people out of harm’s way. As he glanced around at the people trapped within the ballroom he saw that they were scraped up, some of them bleeding substantially in places and others bruised and banged up. There were plenty of other ways to get hurt in such chaos other than by the hail of bullets that had been tearing consistently across the room. If he’d had the chance to think about it, he would’ve felt riddled with guilt to see so many people injured because he couldn’t save them. But there was no time for him to consider the morality of the situation and he knew he was doing everything within his current power to keep them safe. If only he could get to his suit, then he’d be able to even the odds.

“I can’t keep running around like this.” Catching his breath the best he could, Tony slid out of the alcove and back into the line of gunfire, dodging and jumping out of the way, hearing the hiss of bullets rushing past him narrowly. Pulling his phone out of his pocket he fiddled with the touch screen sloppily and after three failed attempts managed to contact Jarvis. “I need you to scan these drones, Jarvis! Can you do that for me?” Tony held up the phone as he ran through the room. He’d decided to risk getting closer to civilians in order to give them proper direction. If he could get them out of the ballroom it’d make his job a lot easier.

“Sir, as high tech as these robots appear to be it seems their design is somewhat incomplete.” The phone responded in Tony’s hand after a few seconds given to scan the robots. Tony threw himself on the ground and covered his head when one of the drones came after him and reached to grab him. Crawling as soon as his elbows hit the ground, he made a mad attempt to get between the drone’s legs and behind it.

“What do you mean by _unfinished?_ ” Tony hissed into the phone. He wasn’t sure if the drones were being controlled remotely or were programmed to simply follow him around and eliminate him. Either way, there was a target on his back painted bright red and the bulls were far beyond angry.

As Jarvis responded his voice was drowned out by the sound of the robot’s gears grinding as it lifted its feet from the ground and tried to stomp on Tony. The ground trembled all around him, cracking and breaking beneath the weight of the metallic beasts. Luckily, Tony managed to roll out of the way just in time. Now lying on his back he caught his breath for a second and stared at the drone above him, terrified. He couldn’t keep running around like this and making insane attempts to dodge robots three times his size. Soon enough he’d be caught and he’d end up taking too much damage without his suit. After that, his death would be inevitable. 

“Can’t die yet, Tony. It’s been too long since you got laid for that to happen.” Muttering under his breath, Tony exhaled then addressed his phone. “You’re going to have to repeat that Jarvis, I was a little caught up.” Tony scrambled to his feet and ran out of the way again, darting to the left with the expectation that one of the drones would be waiting for him behind the one he had just escaped as he’d grown accustomed to dealing with. Much to his surprise there was no drone waiting for him which caused him to stop dead in his tracks. He slipped on some overturned flatware and had to correct his balance before he could examine his surroundings to find out why he hadn’t been pursued.

Even the drone that had been trying to stomp his face into the ground only moments prior was retreating to the outer edge of the room. Tony looked around and tried to consider what they were up to. His phone started up again, louder this time. Flipping a button on the side of it, Jarvis’ voice echoed loud enough for Tony to hear it without having to hold the phone any closer to him.

“Sir, they are being controlled via satellite signals it seems. If you could perhaps locate their receivers and disable them it may cause them to power down entirely.” Tony listened to Jarvis speak and considered the situation at hand. At the moment he didn’t have time to breathe nonetheless analyze the mechanical structure of something that was trying to kill him. His phone wasn’t equipped for such high tech situations so he couldn’t even use that to discover where the communication systems were hidden. If only he had his suit! Where _was_ Happy? Maybe he’d found Scarlett and hadn’t been able to get in passed the caved in hallway to try and help him. Would he be searching for another way in or would he be waiting safely away from the chaos that had erupted in the ballroom?

Or perhaps something more sinister had happened. Tony couldn’t consider what happened to his driver and to Scarlett without sending his nerves further on edge. The drones were up to something and he had to figure out what before he ended up in a bloody pile on the floor. Glancing around the room still, Tony continued to move, not willing to become a target by standing still and analyzing his situation.

Looking around he stopped suddenly and realized what they were going to do. The ceiling was nearly entirely made of glass other than the various supports that were placed around the room for the ceiling and to hang chandeliers from. The drones were one by one preparing to break the glass and send it raining down across the room. There were very few places to hide from the spray that would follow of potentially deadly shards of glass.

“Jarvis, hold that thought. I need you to project my voice if you can.” Tony pulled the phone closer to his mouth. After he heard the telltale beeping response from his phone letting him know the function he’d selected had been selected, he yelled into it. “Everyone take cover! Get beneath tables, debris, whatever you can! They’re going to break the glass overhead and it’s going to hurt if you’re not underneath something! After it’s settled, I’ll give the signal and you have _got_ to start heading out through the back windows! The more targets left in here the nastier this will become. I’ll hold them off the best I can until you’re _all_ out of the way.” Tony shoved the phone into his pocket without looking for confirmation and started toward a table to take cover himself. He could hear people scrambling around him and searching for places to hide. The only thing he could do was hope that people listened to him and that no one was fatally injured in the fray.

Before he could get to cover, the echoing sound of gunfire from around the room erupted overhead. Just as he had predicted, the glass ceiling began to shatter and rain down in jagged crystals. Piece after piece hit his back, most of them harmlessly bouncing off of his suit jacket, others scraping through the expensive fabric. Luckily before anything more than a few scrapes and scratches could be done, he made it beneath one of the overturned tables near the stage on the far end of the room. He pulled his legs beneath the table just in time as a large piece of glass shattered next to the table where he’d been standing. Shielding his eyes and face he stayed tucked underneath the table.

People were screaming, but from what he could see from behind the arms he held over his face, it was because of the tense situation, not from injury. Luckily, it seemed that in a crisis people were willing to listen and take direction. The tinkling and crashing of glass and crystal against the ground continued for a good five minutes before the sound quieted. Tony held his phone close to him and slid his fingers over the screen artfully, trying to see if he could alter the machine in order to locate the targeting system on the drones.

“Why would someone send unfinished technology after _me?_ That doesn’t make sense, Jarvis.” Tony mused quietly, flipping through the different screens on the phone. He was the king of the technology era, so why would the builder of the drones take the risk of attacking him with them? After it had become clear to him that he couldn’t do much of anything to find the targeting system on the drones via his cell phone, he cursed and returned back to his Jarvis mainframe.

“I can only report on what I observe sir, not on the intentions of those behind it.” The phone was still speaking loudly so Tony quieted it to a more reasonable level. He didn’t need a loud beacon to his whereabouts to robots that likely had already memorized his heat signature. “Do you want my advice, sir?”

“Always, Jarvis.” Tony peeked out from beneath the table once the glass had stopped raining down from above. Looking around the ceiling of the room he was starting to worry about the structural integrity of the building. The walls were creaking and groaning from the damage that had already been done. They wouldn’t be able to take much more destruction from the drones if they kept up their pace. Tony knew the same was true for him. Shifting uncomfortably he felt something stab at his arm and tried to swat it away quickly like something had stung him. A piece of glass about an inch in length was sticking through his sleeve. Grabbing it quickly he tugged it free of his skin and tossed it to the floor. Luckily it had only scratched at him considering it had to go through two layers of clothing to get to his skin. It was a shame that he’d ruined another brand new suit.

As he moved from beneath the table he realized that there were many more pieces of glass similar to the one he’d just removed stuck through his coat. Pocketing his phone, he quickly slipped the coat off of him and tossed it aside, along with the glass that had been sticking through it. It was true he’d have less protection without the coat, but if he was distracted by the irritating glass he’d be much worse off.

Taking his phone back out of his pocket he held it close to him as he turned around to see if people were following his directions. Much to his surprise they were. There were loads of people starting to guide others out through the back windows and out of harm’s way. Feeling relieved, Tony spied Pepper guiding people the best she could but making no effort to get herself out of the madness.

“Sir, I suggest that you run for it and contact James Rhodes. You are severely outnumbered and outgunned.” Jarvis spoke after waiting for Tony to get his jacket off. “Since I doubt you will do that, I have another suggestion.”

Tony couldn’t help but chuckle beneath his breath at how well his computer knew him. The drones were starting toward him again. It seemed that one of them was having a hard time keeping its bearings and he was guessing it was the one he had damaged earlier when it had grabbed him.

“What is that, Jarvis?”

“Grab wires and start pulling.” Jarvis spoke the words that Tony had been thinking. It would be far easier said than done. In order for him to grab anymore of the wires on the robots it would require him getting closer to them, which would make him a much larger and easier target than he had been for the last half an hour that he’d spent running around and dodging blows. But, if he could get close enough and could damage each of the drones enough to slow them down it would give him the advantage and time to further assess the situation.

“How about this Jarvis? I’ll do both.” Tony started across the room, toward one of the robots that was starting toward him at the same time. Why weren’t they firing at him anymore? It seemed like they were one giant distraction and now that Tony had a plan in mind, he couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that he was being duped. “Dial Rhodey.”

Much to his surprise, before the phone could respond and before he could give it any further orders he was grabbed around his middle. The phone fell from his hand and onto the ground. The drone stomped on it and smashed it into pieces.

“Oh come on, do you know how much work went into that thing?” Tony turned to look at the robot that was holding him, as though it would respond to him. With a mechanical whir the head turned to look at him curiously. “Didn’t think so.” Tony reached for some exposed wires in the shoulder of the drone and tugged hard. He felt an electrical jolt pulse through him in response. There appeared to be some sort of defense mechanism programmed into the robots to prevent their wires from being disconnected manually.

“Didn’t like that did you?” Tony gritted his teeth, grabbed another handful of wires and pulled as hard as he could regardless of the shock that met him. The drone started to squeeze his middle threateningly. “Gonna… throw up.” As he grabbed another handful of wires and received another electrical jolt he yelped in surprise when the robot suddenly, and violently, threw him as hard as he could. Throwing his arms over his head to protect himself, Tony smashed shoulder first into the wall near the collapsed balcony.

Seeing stars, Tony stumbled to his feet only to fall back onto his knees. His wound from the other day had worsened and was bleeding annoyingly down his arm.

“Why did I have to drink so damn much? Never again.” Tony cursed and tore at the cloth that had ripped on his sleeve. He tied it sloppily and hurriedly around his wounded shoulder and then got to his feet and stumbled forward again. His legs weren’t cooperating so he checked to make sure they weren’t bleeding. Thankfully they weren’t and it seemed he was simply dazed from the blow he’d taken.

Someone grabbed his arm and tugged him to the side. Defensively he tried to pull away but was at the mercy of the pair of hands that had grasped onto him. Pepper and Leo had grabbed onto him and started tugging him back underneath the safety of the collapsed balcony. Once inside Tony leaned heavily against the rubble and slid onto his backside. He needed a moment to catch his breath before he started after the drones again anyway.

Leonard was deathly pale and was staring out from behind the rubble to observe the drones’ behavior without Tony in clear view. The drone that had thrown Tony was sparking and twitching unpredictably. He had clearly damaged something within the drone, though it didn’t stop it from trying to properly function. Much to the surprise of Leo, Pepper and Tony another one of the drones approached the malfunctioning one, aimed at its head and fired until it fell to the ground with a loud crash that echoed throughout the room and shook the ground beneath it. The wall near the doorway and the opposite balcony was cracking and starting to cave, only increasing the shaking around them.

“Tony, are you okay?” Pepper was fretting over him now, trying to touch at the bloodied wound on his shoulder. Tony shooed her away, got to his knees and crawled away from the balcony. He retrieved a half full bottle of wine from the floor and took a long drink from it. Though he’d complained about the effect the alcohol he’d had to drink had on him he was grateful for the way it would dull the pain in his shoulder at the moment. It was easier for him to think a little tipsy than it was for him to think while in pain.

“I’m fine Pepper!” Tony got to his feet and blinked. “Are you two okay?”

“Leonard won’t stay still but Tony, I think he’s got a concussion or worse. We need to get out of here. You _can’t_ keep doing this!” Pepper spoke shrilly and authoritatively, panic clearly written all over her face. “I called the authorities and they’re already outside but they don’t know what to do!”

“You,” Tony pointed at Leonard who looked surprised to be addressed, “listen to Pepper, she’s smart and knows what she’s talking about.” Turning to look at his assistant Tony grabbed both of her shoulders and gave her a reassuring smile, hoping to instill some faith in her. “You need to call Rhodey okay? Tell him to suit up and come give us some help. The cops need to take care of the people trying to get to safety.”

“Tony I’m not letting you go back out there. You’re bleeding. They’ll kill you.” Pepper’s bottom lip quivered. Her strong resolve was cracking. Dangerous situations were definitely not her strong suit. He needed to get her out of there so that he wouldn’t be distracted by her and Leonard any further.

“Look, I just took one of them down. It’s a simple matter of pissing them off enough to kill each other okay? I got this. Can you trust me?” A cocky smile on his face, Tony wasn’t so sure it was as easy as he’d made it sound, but all he knew was that making the one drone malfunction enough had done the trick and had managed to give him one less drone to fight against, even if the drone had ultimately been destroyed by its brethren.

“No, Tony I don’t.” Pepper shook her head and grabbed his wrist. Tony sighed heavily and held up both of his hands defensively after twisting his wrist free.

“Fine, fine… Call Rhodey.” Tony glanced behind him to look at the drones that were scanning the room looking for him. They were throwing over debris and punching holes in the wall. If they got any closer they’d find him and then Leonard and Pepper would be in immediate danger. Leonard was leaning heavily against the wall, holding his head and looked worse for wear. His breathing was labored but Tony had to give him credit for holding up so well in the thick of things.

“Thank you.” Pepper sighed with relief and picked up her phone. About to dial it, she stopped when Tony suddenly bolted out from beneath the balcony. She was a fool for having believed he would put them at further risk.

“Call Rhodes and find Happy! I’ll be fine!” Tony shouted over his shoulder and then continued out into the ballroom. He would distract the drones until he was too injured then he would make a break for it. Hopefully by then he would either have found his suit and his driver or Rhodey would’ve arrived to clean up the mess he’d somehow gotten into. Pepper would have to deal with the decision he’d made. He wasn’t going to watch the building collapse on top of his friends just so he could appease Pepper’s fears. Some things were worth the risk.

Once the bullet had ricocheted harmlessly behind them, Scarlett sprang into action. Jumping to her feet, she pounced at the shooter and knocked him to the ground, throwing all of her weight on him. After a moment of wrestling with her opponent she managed to pry the gun from his hand. He grabbed her neck in retaliation and squeezed hard enough to throw her off balance. Momentarily losing her advantage, Scarlett flipped the gun around in her hand as she was pushed onto her back. Adjusting her dress and throwing her legs around her attacker, she squeezed and tried to use her momentum to force him onto his back again.

With his hands on her neck, interrupting her airflow, she was starting to feel light headed. Happy seemed to want to help her but before he could, Scarlett had managed to bring the gun up and smash it hard into the side of her attacker’s head. Dazed at first, he loosened his grip on her throat which gave her some clarity. Grabbing onto his wrist Scarlett pulled it away from her throat, gasped greedily for oxygen, and then twisted his arm unnaturally and tugged as hard as she could.

Her attacker lost his balance and nearly fell right on top of her. A howl of pain escaped his lips as she slammed the butt end of the gun against his shoulder and listened to the telltale popping sound of it moving out of joint. Legs still around him, Scarlett managed to take the advantage and flip him onto his back again. Still gripping the gun, she smashed it once again into the side of her attacker’s head, this time hitting him hard enough to render him unconscious.

Untangling herself from her attacker she got up and stumbled on her heels. Preparing to turn to instruct Happy to run for it or to go help Tony, Scarlett started to dismantle the gun artfully. She’d always preferred to leave people alive if she could, she wasn’t a cold blooded killer after all. Most of those attacking her, like the man she’d just knocked unconscious had a family at home or were like her and simply doing a nasty job for the money. While her hands were certainly not free of blood, she had never killed unless her life had depended on it.

Before she could speak, the third man from the bathroom came after her and quickly threw her against the wall face first. Her vision faltering as her wounded leg smashed and rubbed against the wall, Scarlett did her best to not to get caught up with her injury. The pain was making her a bit slower, but she could buy herself a moment to recover if she squirmed a bit. Pressed face first against the wall she quickly elbowed the man behind her in the stomach then smashed the back of her head into her attacker’s when he hunched over in response to how she’d hit him.

Tossing the now useless gun to the side, she grabbed one of the hands that held her pinned to the wall and spun him away from her in his moment of weakness. Moving away on her own with the momentum, Scarlett planned to take the offensive but found instead that her left heel had broken beneath her causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground on her butt.

“Seriously? After all that _now_ it’s going to break? Great timing!” Quickly kicking off her broken heel, Scarlett stumbled to her feet but the last of the three men had been given too much time to gather his bearings thanks to her fall. She didn’t have time to take off the other heel before he was coming toward her at full force. He was putting away some kind of radio that she guessed was him signaling for backup and pulling out his gun. The man seemed to be paying no mind at all to Happy or was far too fueled by rage to even notice he was there.

Scarlett held up her hands in surrender and glanced over at Happy without turning her head. She nodded her head to signal to him to leave but he stared blankly at her instead, clearly not understanding what she was trying to tell him via body language. If he could get to Tony with the suitcase, then he could come after her and help her once he’d gotten his friends to safety.

“They told us to bring you in unharmed, you little bitch, but I’ll just tell them that you put up a fight. I wouldn’t be lying, now would I?” The man’s hand was shaking as he held the gun aimed at her and walked closer to her. He pressed the cold steel of the barrel of the gun to her neck and pressed unnecessarily hard into her skin. Quickly Scarlett moved to grab his wrist so she could twist the gun away but much to her surprise he caught her. His reflexes had been far better than the men he’d been partnered with.

He pulled her wrist down and then smacked her on the side of the head with the butt end of the gun hard enough to knock her off of her feet, which wasn’t hard considering she still only wore one shoe. Scarlett slid against the wall and rolled onto her back, planning to at least get up and take the defensive but before she could her attacker was standing over her, gun aimed down at her.

“You think we’re all idiots, don’t you? Sorry to disappoint you sweetheart.” He knelt close to her and held the gun pointed at her, his fist still shaking with rage. “Such a shame that a pretty little thing like you has caused us such trouble. I promise you’ll regret it before I even get to turn you in.” Scarlett ignored his threats and glanced around for Happy who had seemingly disappeared. She was going to have to have a talk with Tony about his staff if he’d just run away from her and left her there to be taken by a man with a gun shoved in her face.

“I don’t _think_ you’re an idiot.” Scarlett cleared her throat and smiled, but was none too amused by the situation she’d been trapped in thanks to her faulty shoe.

“Oh really?” His lips curled in amusement, he grabbed a fistful of her hair with the hand not holding the gun and pulled her head away from the wall. “Kissing my ass isn’t going to help you now. It’s far too late for that.”

“You misunderstand me.” Scarlett squirmed a bit beneath her attacker, making it look like she was simply uncomfortable. Chuckling and clearly thinking he had the upper hand, the man lessened his grip on her hair that was now half undone from the style she’d had it up in earlier.

“Enlighten me then.”

Instead of speaking, Scarlett sighed heavily like she was going to respond to him and then instead kicked him hard in the crotch, smashing the pointed end of her heel as hard as she could against him. Grabbing the hand that held his gun, she pointed it away from her in case he had an itchy trigger finger.

“I _know_ you’re an idiot because smart people don’t sit and rant about what they’re _going_ to do, they just go ahead and _do_ it.” Scarlett shoved him away from him and kicked off her shoe at long last. “I would’ve shot the moment I opened the bathroom door if the tables had been turned. Targets are still worth money with a shoulder wound.” Growling in anger, the man ran toward her, clearly blind with rage. He shoved her against the wall before she could retaliate. Scarlett put her hands in his face and pushed her fingers toward his eyes, hoping that he’d pull away in discomfort before she actually punctured anything with her nails.

Thankfully he did, but he seemed to take her advice and aimed the gun at her instead. Bracing herself and searching for a way out Scarlett was surprised when Happy came up behind the man and smashed him in the back of the head with the suitcase handcuffed to his wrist.

The blow instantly knocked the man out and he crumbled to the ground like a rag doll. Scarlett leaned heavily against the wall and took deep breaths to calm herself down, laughing beneath her breath and trying to push the stray hairs out of her face.

“What’s so funny?” Happy was a mixture of confused, terrified and impressed after having watched Scarlett struggle and waited for his opportunity to strike.

“I thought you ran away when he got the upper hand.” Scarlett stumbled away from the wall and patted Happy’s shoulder reassuringly. “Instead if you were waiting for the right moment. Nice hit Hogan, he’s down for the count.” Scarlett nudged the body of her attacker with her foot and then smiled at Happy.

“I wasn’t going to leave you here with that creep.” Happy looked flustered to be complimented on the attack he’d dished out.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t. I thought you were a bigger man than that.” Scarlett smiled softly and then glanced around the hallway. “What the hell is happening out there? Do you have any idea?”

“I was hoping you’d know.” Happy grimaced. “You were gone for a long time so Tony sent me to come check on you to make sure you were okay.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here because I’m pretty sure that last bit earned me a bullet right between the eyes.” Scarlett exhaled deeply, the adrenaline making her want to run a marathon. She’d gotten lucky that Happy had come to help her. Thanks to her leg she hadn’t been on her A game and the longer she’d fought the weaker she’d become.

Leaning down, Scarlett grabbed the legs of the man who Happy had knocked out and started to drag him back into the women’s restroom that she’d been thrown out of.

“What are you doing?” Happy seemed confused by her actions. “They’re not going to hurt anyone now.”

“But they’ll wake up _eventually_ and there’s really no telling how long that’ll take. If we can trap them in there then it’ll at least buy us a little time before they can come after me again.” Scarlett kicked open the door behind her and dragged the dead weight of the man into the bathroom. After she’d gotten him in there she pushed him into the large handicap stall at the far end of the bathroom where the man with the syringe was still passed out, drooling in a puddle on the floor thanks to whatever drug had been meant for her.

“That’s smart, I wouldn’t have thought of that.” Happy seemed impressed and started to drag the second man into the bathroom so that Scarlett wouldn’t have to do it all on her own.

“That and the last man called for backup before he grabbed his gun. When they come to provide it, it will confuse them if they can’t find the person who called for it. It could grant us an opportunity to sneak by them unnoticed.” Scarlett thanked Happy as he pushed the third man into the stall. Scarlett propped all three up against the wall and then started searching their pockets for information. There were no means of identification in their pockets, much to her dismay though she hadn’t been surprised not to find any. Thugs generally lived in anonymity while on the job. Identity was vulnerability in such situations.

In the breast pocket of the man who had taunted her in the hallway and had nearly gotten the best of her, Scarlett found a picture. It was a photo of her from the year prior after having gotten out of the hospital after the incident in Afghanistan. She was still wearing the bandaging on her arm and was thinner than her usual form. The sight of the picture stung. Had they raided her old home? It was a picture that had been taken on the beach in South Africa of her and Scott by a passerby. She’d finally started to allow him to hang photos up and turn their shitty little apartment into somewhere livable.

Scott had been torn out of the picture, since clearly they weren’t looking for him any longer. Turning the photo over, Scarlett saw instructions to bring her in alive and a deadline set a week from then. What would happen after the week had past? Would they stop looking for her or would they stop requiring she be alive when taken in?

“What’s that?” Happy peered over her shoulder at the picture but before he could get a good look, Scarlett tore it to pieces and threw it in the toilet. She flushed it and then turned to look at the driver.

“Nothing. Help me get their belts off.” Scarlett unhooked the belt of the man closest to her and pulled it free of the loops of his pants with a swift tug.

“Why?” Happy was confused but did as he was asked, having a feeling that whatever Scarlett planned to do with them was important.

“We’re going to bind their wrists and tie them to the rail here against the wall. Then we’re going to take their radios and throw them in the toilet too so that they won’t work if they try to call for help.” Scarlett didn’t bother to look away from her work while she tied the belt separately around each wrist of the unconscious man and then tied it securely to the rail above his head.

“Wow.” Happy couldn’t seem to think of anything else to say and simply followed orders. After she’d finished binding the second man Scarlett realized that Happy was struggling to tie the last man as securely as she had done with the belt. She’d made it look easy but she’d had far more experience with such things than he’d had.

“I got it from here. You take their radios, okay?” Scarlett laughed under her breath and took the belt from Happy’s hand.

“You’ve got some prior knowledge with this stuff, huh?” Happy watched her curiously out of the corner of his eye as he took the radios from the unconscious men and one by one tossed them into the toilet.

“I’m just _really_ into bondage, that’s all.” Scarlett joked, but Happy couldn’t seem to tell if she was being serious or not and simply stared at her in response. “I’m kidding.” Happy laughed awkwardly but kept glancing at her every so often as she finished tying up the last man, skeptical of whether or not he actually believed she was kidding around. “Let’s get out of here before backup shows up.”

“Is that it?” Happy stood up and offered Scarlett a hand, which she took and got to her feet with. The two walked out of the bathroom after Scarlett had flipped off the light switch. The disaster in the ballroom that Scarlett wasn’t sure of was causing the power to flicker dangerously anyway so it wouldn’t make much difference.

“You need to bring Tony his suit. Something nasty is going on. I don’t know what it is, but I have a feeling he’s going to need it.” As if to prove a point, the power in the building flickered again then went out entirely. The two were left in the darkness of the hallway. “What the _hell_ is happening out there?” Scarlett whispered under her breath. From the other end of the hallway she could hear shouting and somehow knew the backup her attacker had called for had arrived and was looking for her.

“What did you say you used to do again? I thought you were an engineer or something… Like Tony.” Happy spoke curiously, ignoring her suggestion. Clearly, whatever preconceived notions he’d had about Scarlett had been completely blown out of the water with these latest developments.

“I don’t think that I actually said what I do. Well, at least not to anyone besides Tony.” Scarlett took a deep breath. “Look, they’re coming for _me_. You’ve got to go help Tony. He needs you more than I do. Something really nasty is happening in there. I can handle this on my own.” Scarlett nodded her head then reached down to retrieve the gun from the last man who had attacked her. This time she didn’t dismantle it and instead checked the cartridge to find it was fully loaded. Then she retrieved the cartridge she’d ejected from the other gun and placed it aside so that she could reload if necessary.

“I’m not leaving you here alone.” Happy shook his head. “Not after hearing that guy talking to you like that.”

“People say nasty things when they’re angry.” Scarlett chuckled again but knew that time was running out. She could hear voices of people approaching somewhere down the hall. If she could guess, she’d say that three more were coming for her and soon enough they’d be there with guns drawn, ready to overwhelm her. She had no intention of shooting any of them. If she fought and managed to at least get one of them down she’d do her best to take down the other two along the way. Then maybe that would have bought enough time for Tony to find her and keep her from being taken away to MedCo, who she was sure was behind the attack.

The hallway shook around them, dust and debris rattling behind them from where the ballroom was. The hardest thing Scarlett had expected to encounter that night was having to keep her emotions in check while she seduced Tony and to manage to stay standing in heels when her leg was still healing. Now she wished that was the greatest of her worries.

“Don’t be stubborn with me, Happy.” Scarlett sighed heavily when he made no room to leave to try and assist his boss.

“Take this.” Happy unlocked the handcuff on his wrist and thrust the suitcase toward her. Scarlett hesitated but placed her hands on either side of the suitcase. “I’ll distract them. They don’t want me but if they think I’m protecting you then they’ll follow me for a little bit at least. That should buy you enough time to get Tony the suit.”

“Happy, they’ll take _me_ alive but they’ll kill _you_. I’m not going to let that happen.” Scarlett laughed in surprise, but she continued to find no humor in the tense situation. Pushing the armor back toward the driver who had shown her nothing but kindness and admiration since they met, she stood her ground. There was no way she was going to have Happy’s blood on her hands.

“They don’t want to kill me, trust me.” Happy smiled confidently but Scarlett could see the nerves that hid beneath his confident exterior. “I used to be a boxer, I’ve got this.” Happy nodded and pushed the suitcase toward her again. “The way back is caved in so you’re going to have to find another way to the ballroom. Tony needs this and you’re faster on your feet than I am.”

“I don’t have shoes anymore. I’m probably not _any_ faster than you are right now.” Scarlett took the suitcase and held it close against her chest.

“You’re clever, Scarlett. I don’t know what I’m doing in situations like this. So I’ll buy you some time to do what you can and then I’ll take cover.” Happy seemed relieved that she’d finally taken the suitcase from him. Scarlett could only hope that Happy was guessing correctly. It wasn’t like MedCo to leave anything to chance. They’d killed Scott in cold blood, so what would stop them from killing Happy simply to get to her? What would Tony think of her when he found out that she was going to leave his trusted driver and friend alone with a bunch of armed thugs that were after her?

“I’m not as clever as you think I am, Happy.” Scarlett set down the suitcase and then handed Happy the gun. “Ever used one of these before?”

“Once or twice at a gun range.” Happy looked at the handgun she’d given him and looked slightly nervous to be holding it.

“You’re new at it so it’s gonna pull when you shoot. Aim a little higher if that doesn’t work aim a little lower. Either way prepare for a kick and don’t shoot unless _absolutely_ necessary. If you don’t shoot at them it’s possible they won’t shoot at you.” Scarlett instructed, hoping that his nerves wouldn’t get the best of him in the battle to come.

“They shot at you.” Happy countered after checking the gun to make sure that the safety was off.

“I pissed them off.” Scarlett picked the suitcase back up and smirked as she stifled a small laugh. “You have _no_ idea how much.”

“It must have been pretty bad considering how angry that guy was with you.” Happy was curious to know what she’d done but knew they didn’t have time to make anymore small talk considering the situation.

“I have a knack for annoying people I shouldn’t and opening my big mouth in situations like this.” Scarlett chuckled quietly. Humor was the best defense mechanism. “We don’t have time for this. Be safe and get away as quickly as you can. Don’t worry about stragglers. Anyone who comes after me will regret it.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to take this?” Happy nodded to the gun in his hand.

“I don’t want it. You need something to protect yourself with.” Scarlett sighed heavily. “We should…” Nodding to the side to signal they should part ways, Scarlett knew the safest place for Happy now was as far away from her as he could possibly be.

“Yeah, we should. Be careful getting back, okay?” Happy aimed the gun at the end of the hallway. Scarlett touched his wrist gently and urged him to point the gun toward the floor.

“Don’t get trigger happy, okay? They might not even acknowledge you. Hide the gun under your jacket and let them walk right past you if they have to. Try and get out and get us some help. That will do us loads more good than you in a firefight, Happy.” Scarlett smiled knowingly. She was never fond of having civilians with her in battle, but Happy had proved to be rather helpful and at least he had managed to stay out of her way when she’d needed him to. 

“Don’t worry about me, just get the suit to Tony and stay safe.” Happy instructed, but did as he was told with the gun.

Scarlett nodded her head, stared down at the very expensive suitcase made of armor in her hands and then started down the hall, leaving Happy to the men that were after her.


	23. The Fatal Design

The suitcase weighed Scarlett down and slowed her pace down significantly as she headed through the hallway away from the commotion coming from the ballroom. The first few times she’d stepped on something uncomfortable in her bare feet it’d thrown her off and made her hop around comically on one foot painfully. But after the third or fourth time she learned to deal with the pain and was able to steadily run down the hall, suitcase in tow. There would be time to deal with the in pain her feet later on when lives weren’t on the line. 

Stopping short at the end of the hallway, she saw a sign that would lead her to the nearest exit. Happy had told her the way back to the ballroom had been destroyed so she’d decided to search for a way around to get back in from outside instead of trying to deal with a collapsed roof. If she had to, she’d break through one of the windows to the ballroom that she spotted near the garden.

Finally having time to breathe, nonetheless think, Scarlett realized _just_ what she held in her arms. At her fingertips was one of the coveted Mark Iron Man suits that Tony wore while he played super hero around the world. Catching her breath, mouth agape, she stared at the red and silver suitcase and contemplated opening it just to see what was inside. How could something so incredibly complex be so neatly packed into a little box? It was another example of the level of genius displayed by Tony Stark.

Why was she helping Tony anyway? If he was as vile as she’d for so long believed then why would she go running to his aid? What could possibly be _wrong_ with her to make her do such a thing? Was she that terrible and sick a person that she finally had a shot to do some real harm to a man she should resent and be bent on destroying and instead she swoons over him and chooses to save his life? Scarlett couldn’t begin to figure out what the hell sort of mental condition she had at this point. She’d had a man who had _loved_ her, who took care of her and had told her for years that she was heading down a destructive and dangerous path and had tried so hard to prevent her from digging the hole beneath her deeper and she’d felt absolutely nothing for him except for _responsibility_.

Now she was being tempted by a man who was as equally dangerous and destructive as she was and on top of that was possibly the most perverted chauvinist she’d ever met in her life and he was making her heart flutter. Temporarily distracted by her thoughts, she felt the room shake and heard shouting from somewhere behind her. She didn’t have time to sit and contemplate her next move. She had to make it to the ballroom without her complex thoughts getting in the way. 

Never before in her life had she been so caught up in self doubt than she had been in the last few days. The walls shook around her, trembling and quaking dangerously. Something inside of her told her that the building could go at any moment and here she was considering what was _wrong_ with her.

How much was the suitcase armor worth? She could sell it in other countries and make a small fortune. The thought was tempting, but only for a second. If she sold the armor under the table it would only go to someone with worse intentions than Tony and she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she did that. Besides, petty theft wasn’t exactly her style. What she did had never been about the money, though it had always been a pleasant perk. The room around her shook once more and reminded her that she had things to do.

“Freud could write a book on me.” Scarlett muttered under her breath and continued toward the exit, the idea of betrayal completely disappearing from her thoughts. Tony had saved her life in the desert and now she’d return the favor. They’d be even and she could wipe the slate clean.

Spotting an exit at the end of the hallway, a horrific groan stopped her in her tracks. The light hanging from the ceiling above her head began to swing dangerously. Recognizing the sounds of some kind of structural failure, Scarlett turned around and ran, threw herself into the nearest doorway which was an adjoining hallway and held the mark over her head to protect herself from debris.

Just as she had taken cover the wall surrounding the doorway started to crumble and cave in from the shifting weight overhead. The support beams in the hall gave out and the entirety of the exit caved in and blocked any chances of leaving the building from that area entirely. Once the groaning and creaking had finally ceased, and the sound of rubble crumbling and cracking had silenced, Scarlett got up from her hiding place, hands trembling from adrenaline.

She could handle men with guns. Hell, she could handle anything with the intent of attacking her but there was very little she could do when a building started to collapse around her. There was no one to stop, no way to keep it from happening. Not being in control was more terrifying than any attack Scarlett had ever experienced. Scrambling to her feet and holding the armor close to her chest again, Scarlett took off down the hallway she’d hid in, searching for another way out or a window big enough to break through. So far most of the ones she’d found were designed with panes too small to be useful. Breaking through them would take more time than she had at her disposal.

Scarlett slid to a stop and then danced around on her feet that burned from rubbing on the carpet. She’d passed a staircase a few feet back, or at least she thought she had. Closing her eyes she could recall the balconies on the east, west, and south areas of the grand ballroom. It wasn’t her ideal way back there but it was the best plan she had right now and most likely the quickest. If her assumptions were correct about the layout of the building, the hall would lead her to the western balcony.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Scarlett moved as quickly as she could up the steps and down the hallway. Parts of the hall had been destroyed, and the closer she got to the ballroom the worse the destruction seemed to get. Bullet holes lined the walls, vases were destroyed, sculptures overturned. She had to be more than careful with the lack of shoes around that area though she made it a point not to let the decay of the building slow her down.

She could hear the familiar whirring of machinery coming from the ballroom and the warm draft of California air. Had the windows been broken? Getting closer to the balcony, Scarlett could begin to see the damage that had been done in the room below and was surprised at the extent of it. The balcony across the way had been destroyed completely and knocked to the ground, the exits had been fully caved in, chandeliers had been brought to the ground and the exquisite glass ceilings had been shattered. It was like an earthquake had taken the whole room straight to the ground.

The droning of machinery and the sound of gunfire only got louder as she approached. Much to her surprise, she didn’t hear accompanying screams to follow those sounds. In fact, she barely heard any voices at all. This worried her more than screams would have. Whatever had caused such chaos in the room had either triggered a mass evacuation or she was about to look over the edge of the balcony and find a sea of bloodied corpses on the floor. Scarlett hoped for an evacuation. She couldn’t begin to consider the amount of guilt she’d feel if the whole of the party had been murdered because of her.

Again with no time to consider the guilt she’d feel, Scarlett stepped gingerly onto the balcony, wanting to make sure that the integrity of it hadn’t been damaged in the assault below. Collapsing another part of the ballroom wasn’t likely to help the situation below. Once she was sure that the balcony wouldn’t collapse under her added weight she hurried to the edge of it and peered over the railing. She was preparing to yell to Tony who she could see scurrying back and forth below, his shirt torn and blood stained but stopped short when she saw the three robots assaulting him.

Stumbling backwards and nearly dropping the suitcase in her arms her mouth hung agape and her lungs stung with the shortened breath of the same sort of panic she’d felt days prior when working with Tony. Crouching low she forced herself to breathe deeply and try to get over what she’d seen.

The robots attacking Tony below were the same ones she’d been in the process of designing for MedCo. They were incredibly convincing copies of the blueprints that she’d been so careful to keep out of the eyes of the security cameras and to burn before she made her escape. How the hell had MedCo managed to take the ashes of something she’d created and turn it into reality? The panicked grip on her throat finally loosened when she heard Tony cursing down below, yelling loudly at the robots.

She couldn’t make out the words he was saying, but she could hear the sarcasm in his voice and this somehow helped her calm down. At least Tony was okay enough to continue joking around despite how outnumbered he was down below. Getting to her feet, Scarlett hurried to the edge of the balcony to get a better look at the robots assaulting Tony.

There was no denying they were based off of her design, but there were multiple differences that she could tell were from the inexperience of the person who had picked up on her work and continued it. Furrowing her brow she realized they were unfinished. Of _course_ they were unfinished. 

MedCo was sending her a message. She had a contract to fulfill and this was an example of what they would continue to do until she completed it. They’d take the things she created and turn them against her so they’d destroy the people and things in her life until they’d gotten what they wanted. Scarlett could almost hear the cruel laughter of the tight lipped woman, Marcia as she pitched the idea to Mikhail, the vile Russian. She’d made it a point to recall their names once they’d started trying to manipulate her.

They were messing with the wrong engineer. Once things were sorted out with Tony in Malibu she’d have much bigger fish to fry than the arrogant CEO of Stark Industries. Beneath her the balcony trembled as did the rest of the room which brought Scarlett out of her thoughts once again. There would be time to figure out her revenge later, right now she would have to help Tony get rid of the robots. If they were going to use her designs against her, she would do the same and fight back just as fiercely. Scarlett wasn’t one to be pushed around.

“Tony!” Scarlett winced when she realized she’d forgotten to call him by his last name. If they made it out alive, he’d never let her live it down. “Stark, up here!”

Tony slid on the ground, next to one of the tables. The room was empty now, outside of him and the robots. Thankfully Pepper had _finally_ listened to him and had worked on getting people to safety. Leonard, having started to throw up, had definitely helped convince her how dire the situation was for those in harm’s way. When he heard Scarlett calling to him from above he thought he was hearing things. There was no way she’d be calling him by his first name and how would she have gotten onto the balcony in the first place? Not to mention, he highly doubted that she would go running into a firefight simply to _help_ him.

But when he heard her calling him again and this time by his _last_ name he looked up, temporarily distracted from the robots. Much to his astonishment, she was actually _on_ the balcony and looked rather worse for wear.

“What are you doing up there?” Tony yelled, frustrated that he’d have to protect yet _another_ person but also secretly glad to see she was okay. The robot closest to him made a mad grab for him. Barely getting out of the way, thanks to the distraction of Scarlett, he grabbed a handful of wires on the wrist of the robot he’d narrowly escaped and tugged, making an annoyed sound when he received a shock in response to his pulling. “Like a bug zapper, _every time!_ ” Tony shook his hands out and started across the room again for cover. He would keep the robots away from the balcony that Scarlett was on so she wouldn’t take any damage on his behalf.

“Stark! Stark, listen to me!” Scarlett shouted again, aggravated that Tony was practically giving her the cold shoulder. She was sure he was just trying to keep her safe, but she was there to help _him_ not searching for a savior.

“You need to get out of here; it’s not safe for you! Help’s on the way but you’ve got to keep laying low okay?” Tony shouted, not bothering to look up at Scarlett as he dodged back to the safety of the overhang created by the collapsed eastern balcony that had once housed Pepper and Leonard.

“I’m not running away! Stark, would you _listen_ to me for a second?” Scarlett’s panic, confusion, and anger faded away into annoyance with the stubborn man on the floor below.

“Get to safety!” Tony shouted again, peeking his head out from behind the rubble. The robots seemed to be getting frustrated with him and were starting to smash the few hiding places he had left.

“Would you at least look at me for two seconds?” Scarlett held the suitcase over her head and waved it the best she could for him to see. It was pretty heavy, considering how much was actually hidden inside of it. Tony gaped at Scarlett, his eyes wide. What had happened to his driver? Was he okay? Had Scarlett taken it from him and left him there to die? Shaking the doubt from his mind, Tony figured that it was more likely that Happy had given it to her and told her to get somewhere safe.

“How did you get that?” Tony made his way from under the rubble and started across the room so he could retrieve it.

“Is that _really_ what matters right now?” Scarlett scoffed, laughing under her breath in disbelief at how obstinate he could be at times.

“You’re right. Throw it to me!” Tony signaled for her to do so and then made the motion like she should toss it to him.

“You’re too far away! Come over here!” Scarlett pointed over the edge of the balcony to the floor below. Tony dodged another blow from a drone, fell to the ground and crawled behind a table just in time. “Look out!” Scarlett yelled then ducked as she found that one of the drones had noticed her and started shooting in her direction.

“Throw me the suitcase!” Grunting as he stumbled to his feet, Tony ducked to evade a hasty grab from the robot in front of him, stumbled, then grabbed more wires along the arm of the robot and tugged.

“That is going to get you nowhere, Stark! Stop it, you’re just electrocuting yourself!” Grumbling, Scarlett tried to judge how far she could throw the suit. Considering the weight of it and how high up she was, she didn’t think she could throw it very far at all. 

“It’s all I’ve got until you _throw_ me the suit!” Tony grumbled, shaking off the electrical jolt again. Scarlett inwardly panicked at the idea that the electrical defense mechanism the robots were displaying would short out the reactor in his chest. Shaking off the fear she groaned in displeasure.

“Why? So it can be smashed or grabbed before you can get to it. No, Stark! Stop trying to get off on those jolts of electricity and get over here so I can save your ass!” Scarlett shouted, trying to keep the humor thick in her voice. Her mind was in overdrive considering all that it’d taken in the last few moments.

“It’s not that _easy_ Scarlett!” Tony shouted in disbelief. As irritated as he was by the situation at hand, he was incredibly relieved to see that Scarlett was okay, particularly okay enough to continue giving him a hard time as he’d grown so accustomed to. His mind had been so distracted by worry for her and Happy that he’d had a hard time keeping his head in the game.

Scarlett was about to respond about just how easy it was when one of the drones grabbed Tony around his middle. Gasping in surprise, Scarlett was about three seconds from finding her way off of the balcony to help him when the robot tossed Tony like a rag doll across the room. He crashed into one of the tables, continuing to protect his head as he’d been doing on various other occasions where he’d been assaulted. Opening his eyes and groaning in misery he glanced up and realized he had landed only a few feet away from the balcony that Scarlett was standing on.

“Never mind.” Tony griped and then sat up. Before he could instruct her too, Scarlett tossed the suit over the edge of the balcony. It landed with a crash below her, cracking the already destroyed marble floor beneath it. “Thank you!”

“Just put on the damn suit already, will you?” Scarlett couldn’t help but smile down at him. Tony mocked blowing her a kiss but stopped short when he saw shadows moving across the cracked walls behind her.

“Behind you!” He shouted before watching her very suddenly disappear from the edge of the balcony. Hands had grabbed onto her shoulders and tugged her away from the railing, then proceeded to lift her up and toss her back into the hallway. Yelping in surprise she covered her head and slid into an overturned end table. “Scarlett?” Tony shouted, not willing to pick up his suit until he was sure she was alright. She’d been so focused on saving him that she had forgotten to take care of herself and be on her guard.

“I’m fine…” Scarlett spoke under her breath as she sat up. She blinked her eyes to clear her vision that had blurred slightly from hitting her head even though she’d tried to protect herself. She hadn’t been fast enough when she’d been taken by surprise so she wasn’t able to properly guard herself in the heat of the moment. Realizing Tony couldn’t hear her whispering, she shouted louder for a second time, “I’m fine!” Clearing her throat and dusting herself off, Scarlett dodged the man who had had thrown her as he tried to kick her while she was down. Grabbing his foot, she twisted it hard and caused him to fall onto his back.

Tony hesitated when he heard Scarlett call to him, but knew he couldn’t do much to help her without his suit regardless of how well she was doing. Dizzy from the last blow he’d taken he turned over the suitcase and clicked the latches. Opening it, he triggered the release of the Mark V armor that he’d recently revamped. For awhile he’d gone without it but the need for a portable Mark had forced him to reconsider.

At his command, the red and silver titanium alloy of the Mark V started to surround Tony’s legs. Reaching down into the suitcase, Tony slipped his hands into the gloves and pulled hard on the handles hidden within them. Standing upright, the suitcase manipulated and changed, hugging the form of its creator until finally it had covered him entirely from head to toe in the portable Iron Man suit.

“Mark V is now online, sir.” Jarvis spoke to Tony through the helmet, the various icons of the Mark’s capabilities flashing through the screen of the helmet as it booted up. Before Tony could respond one of the drones was on top of him. Easily stronger than the drones in the Mark V, Tony powered the repulsors in his palms, grabbed onto the arm of the drone then swung it around. Tossing it to the side, the drone landed on its back with a crash. Tony aimed his repulsor and shot at its chest. Much to his surprise, the drone absorbed the damage of the repulsor and whirred back to life.

“Jarvis, what just happened?” Tony dodged a blow from the drone as it retaliated, holding up the arm of the Mark V. The metallic glove of the armor fanned out to shield the rest of the Mark from the gunfire. Now that he was protected by his suit, Tony wasn’t afraid to stay in the line of fire.

“It seems to have absorbed the blow, sir.” Jarvis responded easily. “It’s good to see you’ve survived thus far. I was mildly concerned when the line went dead.”

“Thanks for your utmost confidence in me, as always.” Tony gritted his teeth and ordered the thrusters of the Mark V to turn on. He’d altered the suit a few months after its creation to be flight capable. It had initially been something he’d left out of the suit to keep it from being as cumbersome as the others but unfortunately the need for it had been greater than he’d expected. After having been grounded during battle one too many times, he had compressed and lightened the thruster design so he could fit it into the Mark along with a few additional features he’d developed for it.

“You’re very welcome sir. Have you located Miss Damien yet?” Jarvis continued on casually with conversation, while Tony launched himself at one of the drones, knocking it to the ground with his boot and skidding with it along the ballroom floor. Grabbing onto the arm of the drone that held the machine gun being used to fire, he pulled and eventually tore it from its metallic socket. The result was an electrical explosion that knocked the Mark V onto the ground and flat on its back. The metallic arm went flying from Tony’s hand and into the opposite wall, the force of the explosion sending it straight through it. The building shook in response to the continued damage to the structure.

“You know, this crush of yours is getting out of hand, Jarvis.” Tony exhaled deeply then got back onto his feet in the suit. Arms spread to either side he targeted the three drones quickly the fired miniature bombs at them, hoping they would do more damage than the repulsors had done.

“I have no idea what you’re referring to sir. I am not programmed to feel or crush.” Jarvis somehow sounded sarcastic, though Tony was sure that was in his head. The miniature bombs went off on impact and knocked all three of the drones to the ground. Tony took to the air again and waited for the smoke of the bombs to settle before analyzing what was left to handle. “The damage done was superficial sir, would you like me to reevaluate the situation?”

“Your circuits _burn_ for her.” Tony responded, ignoring Jarvis’ attempts to interfere in the battle at hand. The wires that he’d been pulling on had come so easily undone, had they been a distraction from the actual way to destroy the drones? Had all his pulling and tugging been for nothing? If so, then why had the first robot malfunctioned so horribly when he’d pulled on the wires? Had that been a ruse as well? If it had been, then the designer of the defense system for the robots had to have been terribly clever. Perhaps the first robot had malfunctioned on its own, even. Jarvis _had_ said earlier that the drones had been based upon unfinished technology so there was a chance they wouldn’t always work as intended.

“It appears the drones are recovering quite quickly, sir.”

“I see that, captain obvious.” Tony decided the only thing that seemed to work to destroy the robots would be to rip them apart piece by piece. But if they simply kept getting up and attacking then it would take a long time and a huge effort to tear all three of them apart. Not to mention if every limb was rigged to explode when disconnected from the main body of the drone then the damage done to his suit would add up and eventually become critical. “Jarvis, scan the drones. Take in as much data as you can. See if you can come up with some way to destroy them that doesn’t involve them exploding in my face.”

“I can’t promise anything, sir.” Jarvis responded. Tony chuckled then dove at the drone whose arm he’d ripped off. From within the drone some kind of ticking had started up. Unsure of what it meant, Tony could only hope it didn’t mean more explosions. He was tired of being thrown around like a rag doll.

Grabbing at the drone, Tony tore at the other arm. Before he could pull hard enough to rip it off a second drone came from behind him, picked him up and threatened to throw him. Seeing this move coming, Tony turned in the armor and punched his metallic fist into the drone’s head leaving a dent in it. Powering his thrusters he planned to use the force created by them to send the drone flying but much to his surprise the drone grabbed onto him before he could launch him across the room.

The force he’d created with his thrusters sent him and the drone backwards into the wall next to the western balcony. They flew through the wall and into the room behind it. The drone smashed its remaining fist into the ground next to the Mark V which had narrowly dodged the blow. Grabbing onto the fist that had been lodged into the ground with the force of the punch, Tony swung the drone around and threw it through the hole already created in the wall. 

Flying through the same hole in the wall Tony went to attack the drone again but heard a horrific creaking sound before he could. The structural integrity of the building had finally taken been compromised. Drywall cracked and crumbled, support beams started to fall around the room. If Tony didn’t think fast then the whole building would fall to the ground. With a groan of metal creaking, one of the larger beams from the ceiling that had been supporting the chandeliers threatened to bring down the entire roof.

Aiming overhead, Tony fired his repulsors at the metallic beam. Just as he’d hoped it tore apart from the remainder of the ceiling structure and swung dangerously downward. Firing another blast of his repulsor it detached from the wall and went crashing straight into the edge of the balcony nearby.

“Scarlett!” Tony switched on the loudspeaker function of his Mark. He could only hope that the damage done to the balcony was superficial enough to keep it from tumbling down like the eastern one had done.

On top of the balcony, Scarlett had managed to get to her feet and was doing her best to concentrate on avoiding blows from the two men who had come after her. She hadn’t expected them to follow her so quickly so the fact that they were on her tail worried her. Had they simply murdered Happy and come after her? She would never forgive herself if that was the case. Happy had been a good man and had gone out of his way to try and protect her even when she’d made it clear she could take care of herself.

She could only hope that they’d heard the crash in the hallway and had come running to investigate and had seen her hightailing it through the hallway in search of Tony to give him his suit. When the room had started to groan, Scarlett had attempted to run back into the hallway to try and get out of the way if the ballroom was going to cave in. She was sure that Tony could withstand the blow as long as he kept his suit on, but she was unprotected and would likely die if she remained on the balcony. But one of the men had pulled her back onto the balcony and nearly tossed her right off the edge. If it hadn’t been for the railing she would’ve fallen and likely broken a few bones at the very least.

When the man came closer to her, Scarlett kicked him hard in the groin. Hunching over from the pain, Scarlett wrapped her leg around his neck and pulled him closer to her. She shoved the heel of her palm into his nose and broke it sending blood dripping down his face and onto her. Coughing and gagging at the blood that spilled on her she used the leg she had wrapped around him to turn him over and knock him to the ground. She was flashing him in all sorts of awkward ways, but it hardly seemed important in such a dire situation.

The second man grabbed her hair and pulled her off of his comrade. Howling in annoyance at the sting of her hair being pulled Scarlett’s eye twitched with irritation.

“Real mature.” Scarlett attempted to try and get away without her hair being pulled out of her head but was having a hard time doing so considering what an awkward position she was now in. Seeing Tony blast up at the ceiling to loosen the metallic beam that was getting ready to fall, Scarlett knew she had to think fast. If Tony wasn’t able to stop the building from collapsing then she was going to have to find somewhere to hide from the blow that would surely come. The man holding her hair tugged her back and she allowed her full weight to crash into him instead of trying to steady herself.

They flew to the ground in the hall as the beam smashed into the end of the balcony, sending the railing crumbling down below. The beam precariously balanced against the wall above the balcony and the edge of it before sliding down with a crash onto the balcony but not destroying it entirely. The man whose nose she’d broken had narrowly scrambled out of the way as it came from overhead. Scarlett was surprised by the reflexes of a man who was surely blinded by pain and having trouble breathing without inhaling blood. 

The three on the balcony laid back and caught their breath after the crash. Even though they were her enemies, she figured they were likely as surprised as she had been by the devastation to the ballroom.

“Scarlett? Scarlett!” Tony was about to take to the air to make sure she was okay when the drones came at him again. He was tackled to the ground and grunted in annoyance. “Jarvis can you see if she’s okay? She’s not answering me! Stubborn…”

“Sir, there are three heat signatures coming from above but none of them are moving very much.” Jarvis responded while Tony pounded on the robot that had tackled him to the ground and flipped it over onto its back. When the continued blows did nothing but dent the robot and cause surface damage, Jarvis continued. “Isn’t that like, what is the phrase… beating a dead horse, sir? If I am in fact using the saying correctly.”

“You are, Jarvis but what else am I supposed to do? I rip off their arms and they keep getting up and coming after me.” Tony griped, hitting the drone beneath him hard enough to knock it back into the ground. Predictably it got back up and started after him.

“What about shooting them in the head?” Jarvis compiled a list of suggested attack strategies and flashed them on the screen to the right of Tony’s line of sight.

“They’re not zombies so that won’t work. Why don’t you try to locate the receiver like you told me I should do earlier, huh?” Tony managed to kick a robot off of him and then yelled again for Scarlett who was dazed on top of the balcony. Her ears were ringing from the vibration of the metal when it’d smashed nearby. “Scarlett, answer me or I’m going to keep calling you until you do!”

Sitting up slowly, Scarlett held her head to try and get the ringing and spinning to stop. Before she could respond or get to her feet her right arm was grabbed and tugged hard behind her. She could hear the jingling sound of handcuffs and assumed that the man behind her was trying to take her into custody without causing her any further damage. Twisting away before he could cuff her wrists, she elbowed him in the face and scrambled to her feet. Hurrying to the edge of the balcony to survey the damage and to check on Tony she saw him struggling with the robots below. Cursing under her breath she saw the arm torn off of one of them and started to panic.

“I’m okay!” Scarlett choked after finding her voice again and waved to Tony down below. He wasn’t going to get anywhere at the rate he was going. She had no doubt that he could destroy the drones she’d designed easily, but if he didn’t do it the right way it would backfire on him.

“You couldn’t have said that when I called for you the first time?” Tony shouted to her.

“I was a bit busy thank you very much! You could’ve at least warned me you were sending part of the _ceiling_ crashing down on me!” Scarlett yelled. The men on the balcony were looking at her, surprised that she’d turned her back on them and remained unguarded. Nose still broken and dripping blood, one of them came toward her and tried to use her lack of defense to his advantage. He grabbed her shoulder but she instinctively turned around and smashed the palm of her hand into his nose again, hearing it crack a second time.

When he reached to strike at her wildly in retaliation, Scarlett grabbed his arm and spun him around, but forgot that the railing to the balcony and part of the floor had been destroyed. So instead of crashing into the railing, her attacker went tumbling off the edge and smashed into the floor. Wincing at the discomfort that he must have been feeling if he was conscious after that, Scarlett turned her attention back to Tony. She’d have time to deal with what she’d done later, right now she needed to guide Tony in destroying the drones that were attacking him without killing them both in the process.

Though it occurred to her now, how often she pushed things that made her unsettled to the back of her mind with the promise of dealing with them later. Then she realized how very little time she’d spent _actually_ dealing with them as promised.

“I didn’t think it’d land there I was trying to keep the building from, you know, _collapsing_.” Tony hollered, ripping the helmet off of one of the robots, only to find that the drone didn’t need it to function and to be thrown across the room as revenge.

“I thought you said they _weren’t_ zombies, sir.” Jarvis spoke sardonically in Tony’s ear.

“It was worth a shot.” Tony shrugged, getting back to his feet.

“You’re never going to get anywhere trading punches with those things!” Scarlett shouted and furrowed her brow. “Listen to me, okay?”

“Kinda busy right now. You can tell me what it is I’ve done wrong later after I save us.” Tony artfully flew between the robots, avoiding blows and gunshots.

“Save us? You’re going to get us killed! Listen to me you stubborn ass!” Scarlett couldn’t think of how else to get his attention so she picked up a small piece of rubble and chucked it at the suit. The rubble hit his backside with a small thud but did no damage. 

Tony grunted as he flew back into the air and shot up toward the balcony so he could get a better look at Scarlett. “What is it? Daddy’s busy.”

“Don’t you get all condescending on me.” Scarlett scolded wiping the blood off of her face from the man whose nose she’d broken. “Look, there’s a panel on the lower back of these things. It looks completely ordinary. It’s no different than the other panels around it but it’s definitely there. When you pull it open, you’re going to find a large heavy duty black wire. This connects the satellite receptors to the power cell and will completely disable the robot when pulled.”

Tony had started back toward the ground to go after the robots when Scarlett had started to reprimand him but stopped short when he heard her speak like she knew far too much about the robots to be joking. He turned to look at her, in awe of the information she was spewing at him.

“What?” If he’d had his helmet open, Scarlett would’ve seen his mouth hanging agape in shock.

“Look, even the one on the ground over there that _looks_ disarmed is still dangerous. If you attack them any other way than this you are initiating a self destruct sequence. The empty spaces within the drones are packed with explosives. When you disable the other wires on the outside that shock you’re feeling is triggering the explosives. I don’t know how long they’re set before they go off but you need to pull the wire on all four of them or drones and men in black suits are going to be the _least_ of our worries.” Scarlett could feel the confusion radiating off of Tony, but didn’t have time to reassure him that she knew what she was talking about. 

The man remaining on the balcony took advantage of her distraction and grabbed her around the waist. She dug her feet into the ground to try and get her footing so she could push him back but felt something sharp dig into her foot instead. She’d forgotten she hadn’t been wearing shoes in all the confusion.

Instinct kicked in and forced her to bend her leg which ached from the strain she’d put on the chemical burn that was still in the process of healing. Through the slit in her skirt she could see that she’d broken the scab over the wound that had started to form and it had started bleeding through the wrapping. She didn’t have much fight left in her and if they didn’t get a handle on the situation soon, she’d be finished.

“How the _hell_ do you know that?” Tony asked, trying to absorb the information that Scarlett had given him. Jarvis had begun to scan the devices in search of the panel she spoke of without being told to. On the screen to his right he could see that Jarvis had pinpointed the panel and the wire hidden beneath it and confirmed the existence of explosives within the drones.

“Because I designed them!” Scarlett shouted with a grunt, managing to twist around in her attacker’s arm and head butt him hard enough to knock him away from her.


	24. Robots Are a Girl's Best Friend

“Wait, you did _what?_ ” Tony stopped in mid-air, holding himself in place with his thrusters as he stared at Scarlett through the helmet of the suit. Opening the helmet so that he could look at her and she could properly see his astonished and somewhat offended expression, he was about to ask her again to repeat herself when something grabbed onto his leg and flung him backwards. Quickly he triggered the helmet of the Mark V to close and just in time at that. The drone that had grabbed him, swung him violently overhead and then tossed him like a rag doll across the room and through the already broken windows out into the gardens behind the building.

Tony powered the thrusters on the gloves and boots of the Mark V but it was too late to counteract what had been done; the attack had happened too quickly. He could hear Pepper screaming for people to get out of the way as the Mark V crashed into the concrete sidewalk, tearing it up at the point of impact on either side. The suit slid through the hedges, rolled down a small stairway then spun head over feet until the suit came crashing back first into a hydrangea shrub. The screen flickered and died in front of his eyes before rebooting automatically, the familiar indicators appearing in his line of sight showing him where the most damage to his suit had been done on impact.

“Tony! Tony!” Through the ringing in his ears, he could hear the shrill cry of Pepper Potts getting closer to him. Sitting up, Tony glanced over the specs of his suit and ignored the cries of his assistant. It was sad to say, but he’d gotten used to ignoring her in times of crisis because of her constant worry. Though he thought it was sweet that she cared so much, he didn’t have time to comfort her while lives were on the line.

“Jarvis, restore power to thrusters if you can and work on repairing my targeting system. It looks like the left lower thruster took some damage. Can you repair it?” Wiping pieces of shrubbery and destroyed flowers off of the suit, Tony grunted in discomfort as he got up.

“I can perform a temporary repair.”

“Do it as quickly as you can.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Tony, are you okay? How did you get your suit back? Where’s Happy? Is he okay?” Pepper called, trying to offer him a hand to get up but also unsure if she should since she wasn’t sure how much good she’d do trying to assist a suit that easily outweighed her. So, fretting around her boss, she instead took to swatting bits of leaves and sticks away from the suit in an attempt to help him in some way.

“No time for that Pepper, I’m fine.” Tony swung the helmet of the suit open since it was easier to talk that way and started walking quickly back toward the ballroom. The drones hadn’t immediately come after him and he wondered if they’d instead chosen to focus on Scarlett who was already having enough problems. Then again, if she’d been the one to create them then maybe they were simply praising their creator for doing such an excellent job. Hurt stung within Tony and he wasn’t exactly sure why he felt so betrayed. Why would Scarlett design those things? That would be a question for her once he’d destroyed every last one of them. 

On the other hand, she _had_ instructed him on how to destroy the drones he’d simply gotten distracted by what she’d told him that he hadn’t seen the last attack coming. It could’ve easily been avoided if he had just been paying attention.

“You flew through a _wall_ and tore up the concrete! There’s no _way_ that you’re fine Tony!” Pepper scolded, following Tony in the suit and trying to look for potential injuries even though there would be no way for her to find any.

“Did you get in touch with Rhodes? Is he on his way yet? I could use some help.” Tony ignored her concern and tried the thrusters in his suit again but the damaged one sparked dangerously and sputtered. “Jarvis I needed this back online like… three minutes ago.”

“Repairs are at ninety five percent, sir.” The computer responded within his helmet.

“I didn’t ask what your progress was.” Tony spat to the side, tasting blood in his throat and started instead toward the building on foot since he wouldn’t be able to fly until Jarvis had finished the minor repairs to his system.

“I can only work as fast as I am programmed to.”

“Ouch, I liked you better when you were obsessively talking about Scarlett.” Tony chuckled then looked back to Pepper who hadn’t responded to him. “Rhodes?”

“Rhodey is out of town, remember? That’s why _you_ had to come tonight! He’s called the military but they’re still twenty minutes out, Tony.” Pepper instructed when she realized that Tony was staring at her expectedly.

“Damn, I forgot.” Tony grimaced.

“Do you _ever_ listen to anything I say?” Pepper narrowed her eyes, once she was sure that Tony was okay.

“Thrusters are back online, sir.”

“Thanks Jarvis.” Tony fired up the thrusters on his suit and started into the air. “And to answer your question, once you start nagging me about something I stop listening entirely.”

“You’re covered in hydrangeas, Tony!” Pepper tried to pick some of the flowers out of the metallic seams of the suit but stopped when he flew out of her reach. Flipping the helmet back down on his suit, Tony looked down at Pepper.

“I’m bringing flowers to my date like a _gentleman_.” Tony shot into the air and turned his attention to the ballroom in front of him. “Keep everyone back. I’ve got this under control.” Like a rocket, he took off and flew back into the half destroyed ballroom. Scarlett may have had some explaining to do, but at least now he had a plan of attack. First and foremost, he’d find the half destroyed, incapacitated robot and disable it entirely to prevent any self destruct sequence that may have been triggered. Then he’d go after the others and put a stop to them. He’d have time to dwell on what to do with his mysterious houseguest once they were out of harm’s way.

Scarlett had wanted to warn Tony not to let his guard down but she hadn’t gotten the chance to before he’d gone flying out of the room for exactly that reason. Confident that he would be okay in the armor of the Mark V she turned her attention back to the man on the balcony that had been joined by two more of his buddies. His hand was on his gun, clearly not afraid to shoot at her after she’d thrown his comrade off of the side of the balcony.

“In my defense, I forgot the railing broke when I spun him that way.” Scarlett held her hands up in surrender then quickly ducked when her attacker didn’t drop his weapon and instead aimed it at her. Hurrying behind the beam that was precariously balanced near the edge of the balcony, Scarlett heard the sound of the shot ring out near her head and muttered a long string of curses under her breath in a mixture of English and Afrikaans. Heart pounding she cursed louder when she saw the drones turn their attention to her. If they’d wanted Tony dead he would’ve been dead before she’d gotten to him with the suitcase of armor. The chaos in the room was meant to distract him while the men in black suits were in pursuit of her and now that she was trapped between some drones and a hard place she wasn’t exactly sure how to squeeze her way out.

Exhausted from fighting and sore since the rush of adrenaline from her initial attack had finally started to wear off and allow her to feel the pain that had been inflicted, Scarlett knew she couldn’t fight three more men on top of what she’d already been through. Glancing back at the drones, she decided it was easier to risk her life against the armed men rather than against three badly beaten and incredibly heavily armed drones. 

When she’d been trying to buy more time when she was working for MedCo she’d started putting in defense options for the drones she was to create. She’d never expected the drones to come to fruition and now realized the error of her ways. The defenses she’d designed were ingenious and perfect for distraction, not to mention wearing out those they were fighting against. Even the strongest opponent would grow weary after battling something that could only be destroyed in an obscure way.

She cursed herself for being so ingenious before hurrying around to the other side of the metallic beam that had fallen from the ceiling. Hands over her head she expected to have weapons pointed at her instantly upon stepping into view but was surprised instead to see Happy decking the man who had pointed his gun at her in the face so hard that he fell to the ground unconscious. Scarlett stared, impressed by the driver’s strength, at the man who had fallen to the ground. Happy was shaking his hand in discomfort from the impact on the man’s face.

Running to his aid, Scarlett ducked low and kicked the feet out from underneath one of the men left coming after her. He stumbled and then fell to the ground, not having expected Scarlett to come after him. Happy kneed the same man in the face when he tried to get up and knocked him backwards. Offering Scarlett a hand, which she took, Happy helped her to her feet and winced from the pain in his hand.

“I think you broke your hand.” Scarlett looked down at his knuckles carefully to try and examine the extent of the damage he’d done but was distracted when the man on the ground grabbed her ankle. Crouching down on her knees, Scarlett pried his hand off of her ankle, pressed her thumb hard on his wrist and tugged his fingers straight until she heard a pop, resulting in a howl of pain from the man on the floor.

“I did.” Happy was starting to get used to being startled by what Scarlett was capable of now that he’d seen her in action a few times. He still stared at her in awe for a second after she’d wounded the man below her so severely. The man on the ground writhed in pain and misery. Scarlett searched for his gun and when she found it in a holster beneath his coat she turned it around and smashed the butt end into the side of his head hard enough to knock him out but not hard enough to kill him. Once again, Scarlett felt pity for the men who did a job they were clearly incapable of doing. Maybe MedCo hadn’t warned them of just _how_ hard it would be to bring her in or maybe they weren’t aware of the threat she would pose to them.

“You should try and take it easy.” Scarlett looked back up at Happy and smiled as softly as she could manage. He nodded to agree with her.

“I’m usually much better than that.” Clearing his throat Happy glanced into the hallway and grimaced when two more men rounded the corner and started pointing and yelling at them. “I don’t think I have much of a choice.”

“I find that a nice kick to the groin is good in a pinch.” Scarlett didn’t love using such a cheap tactic but she was growing weary of wave after wave of minion that was coming after her. Happy nodded and started into the hallway, obviously wanting to protect her. About to get up and go after him, Scarlett forgot about the third man that had been on the balcony. He had apparently pursued her beyond the metallic beam and had gotten trapped temporarily behind it. He grabbed her by her hair and swung her around. She stumbled but gathered her footing quickly, stubbing her toe on part of the broken balcony that started to creak beneath her again.

“…what is with the timing of this place?” Scarlett muttered and then dodged a sloppy right hook from her attacker, hopping on her right foot and cursing as she saw her toe bloodied. 

Happy hurried into the hallway and the men he was running toward seemed to think that he was going to run past them and flee so they moved out of his way. Instead, he tackled one of them into the wall and threw his left fist into the man’s stomach. Clearly surprised that the rather ordinary looking man had packed such a punch they weren’t exactly on their game. Leaving his opponent on the ground, Happy kicked him in the side and then threw his arms up in front of him defensively, absorbing a few jabs from the second man. His time as a boxer was serving him well.

Watching Scarlett had inspired him along with his success so far against the men chasing her, for whatever reason or another that he didn’t quite understand, had instilled confidence in him. Dodging left then right, Happy forgot that he’d injured his right hand in the last attack and threw a punch. Pain shot up his arm and he saw stars. Slipping as he tried to step backwards, Happy fell on top of the man that he’d knocked to the ground who was trying to get back onto his feet. His head smacked right into the head of the man who was chasing Scarlett and knocked him into unconsciousness by accident. Happy was stunned but pleased by the end result of his fall.

Exhaling deeply after realizing he’d been holding his breath, Happy got to his feet and faced the man who had knocked him back in the first place and bounced back and forth on his heels.

“You want some of this?” Happy taunted, overconfidence in his abilities taking over despite how badly his right hand was throbbing from having smashed it one too many times. Angry and frustrated with their failure against the driver, the remaining man in the hallway became more and more aggressive with each blow. He threw a left jab then a right cross. Happy managed to dodge the first few blows but his attacker was skilled and knew just where to hit him when he turned to block. Taking a blow to his stomach, Happy hunched over and was surprised when an elbow met the back of his head. Backing up to avoid a second blow that would knock him to the ground, Happy felt the floor disappear beneath his heels very suddenly.

He hadn’t noticed the stairs that branched off from the hallway and down to the floor below since they hadn’t been the ones he’d used to get to the second floor in the first place. Flailing comically to try and regain his balance, Happy reached for something, anything that could keep him from falling down the stairs and what would surely result in serious injury. The man at the top of the stairs got closer to Happy in hopes of giving him that final push that would launch him down the steps. Still flailing and reaching, Happy grabbed at the corner of the wall, but his hand slipped. He then grabbed onto the next closest thing which just happened to be his attacker.

Shouting in anguish the man in the black suit tried to get away but only managed to become twisted beneath Happy. The two went tumbling down the stairs, Happy smashing his back against the stairs at first, but then managing to manipulate his attacker so that he was lying beneath him and took the brunt of the blows against the stairs as momentum forced them downward.

“Happy!” The driver could hear Scarlett yelling to him but couldn’t think to respond in the heat of the moment. Step after step they rolled, the fall seemed to take an agonizingly long time when he was worried about breaking another bone. At the bottom step which was much wider than the others, the attacker’s foot caught between the rungs of the railing causing his body to stop sliding sharply and suddenly. 

Happy, on the other hand, tried to keep his grip on the attacker but momentum sent him flying feet over head onto his back on the floor of the hallway. Staring up at the ceiling for a long moment Happy resisted moving, afraid that he’d broken something far worse than his hand. Slowly he tried to move and found that he’d gotten out of the fall unscathed though he was sure he’d have a few bruises in the morning. Turning his head back and forth he didn’t hear or see any other pursuers and suddenly felt incredibly victorious.

“Yeah!” Happy cheered, throwing his fist into the air. His hand tingled with pain and he urged it close to his chest cradling it. Sitting up, Happy slowly crawled over the body of the man that he’d practically ridden down the stairs like a sled. Touching his neck to feel his pulse, Happy was relieved to see the man was still alive just unconscious. 

Having learned how to handle such things from Scarlett earlier, Happy removed the man’s belt. After a few seconds of struggling he managed to tie his wrists to the rungs of the staircase. Stumbling up a few of the steps, Happy stopped to sit on the fifth one up and leaned heavily against the wall. After that last tumble down the stairs he needed a moment to catch his breath. Now he remembered why he’d taken, what he thought was, the much safer job of driver to Tony Stark.

Upstairs Scarlett had managed to find her balance but was starting to worry that the floor was going to collapse beneath her. The last of the men attacking her seemed to be thinking the same thing and was trying to keep her out of the hallway. Frustrated and starting to get sloppy from weariness she decided to take the offensive in hopes of ending this fight quickly so she could help poor Happy who had flown down the stairs and out of sight. 

She could only hope that he knew how to take a fall or she’d have much bigger problems when she went downstairs to help him. That was always the risk with civilians. Even if the provided a minimal amount of help in dangerous situations, when things went wrong, and they always did, it would cause more trouble than the situation itself would’ve had it been left to the professionals.

Getting a running start, Scarlett started to head to the right of her attacker but instead very quickly slid left. Grabbing the outstretched arm of the man trying to stop her she slid beneath the arm and twisted it behind his back which forced her attacker to lean forward. Jumping onto his back, legs wrapped around his waist she grabbed his hair with her left hand. Knowing she no longer had the upper body strength to choke him into unconsciousness from her current position with her strength alone she artfully removed his tie with a few simple flicks of her right hand and then grabbed it on either side after releasing his hair. Placing it beneath his chin and around his throat she pulled hard and leaned backwards so she would put all of her weight into her tug.

The man at first grabbed at her legs to try and pry her off, but realized it was no good. If he’d hit a few inches higher on her right leg he would’ve hit gold and gotten her bloodied wound but he was too panicked to do so and very likely didn’t realize her weakness. Then he reached for the tie she was choking him with, instinctively but when that did him no good he spun around to try and shake her off. Scarlett felt dizzy but continued to pull. She was surprised when he accidentally spun them right into the corner of the hallway and the balcony. Vision blurring, Scarlett lost her grip on the tie but gathered it after a split second.

Realizing the effect bashing her against the wall had caused, the man grunted and instantly rammed her into the wall again. Crying out in discomfort, Scarlett gritted her teeth to keep it from happening again. With the second blow to the wall she lost her grip entirely on the tie and it slipped out of her hands. Wrapping both arms around his neck, Scarlett tried to keep her advantage but was losing it rapidly. Weariness was getting the best of her at long last.

With a third smash into the wall, Scarlett decided she wasn’t going to let there be a fourth. When the man pulled away to push her back again she untangled her legs from around his waist and kicked away from him. Stumbling when she hit the ground, Scarlett nearly collapsed on her bad leg and grunted in annoyance. Regaining her balance, she only managed to gather it for a second before she was grabbed by her hair and swung into the wall again. Annoyed with being pushed over and over into the wall, she went to push away but was blocked by her attacker.

She widened her eyes when she realized that the man had donned a pair of brass knuckles and ducked low very quickly. His fist hit the wall, the brass weapon smashing through the drywall overhead, it raining down like dust into her hair. Glancing at the ground for something to use to her advantage, since she obviously wasn’t going to get by on her physical strength alone after how much she’d used throughout the night, Scarlett spotted the gun she’d dropped earlier. Scrambling on the floor to reach it, she managed to wrap her fingers around it when her attacker kicked her in the side, making her roll twice and land on her stomach.

Not moving, she waited for him to come and check on her. When he did, she rolled onto her back and swung the gun hard toward his knee cap. Something inside of him cracked horribly and he fell to his knees instinctively. Hurrying onto her hands and knees, Scarlett grabbed the back of her attackers head and shoved him hard onto the ground. Leaping over him she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed as hard as she could. Wrapping her legs back around his middle she pulled him tight and manipulated her hands so that one was pressed over his mouth and the other was pinching his nose.

After a good few moments of struggling she felt her attacker’s body finally go limp in her arms. Checking his pulse, Scarlett then let go when she realized she’d succeeded in knocking the man unconscious. Releasing him entirely she shoved him away from her and then laid on the floor, pushing her sweaty, messy hair from her face.

“I have never wanted a nap more in my life.” Muttering under her breath, Scarlett got up and stumbled down the hallway before regaining her strength and her balance.

“Happy? Happy are you okay?” Scarlett hurried toward the staircase that he’d fallen down.

“I’m okay! A little banged up but you should see the other guy.” Happy called back up the stairs. Reaching the opening in the hallway she smiled down at him, seeing how he’d tied the man to the railing just as they had done in the bathroom.

“Oh, you even subdued him. Good job, Happy.” Scarlett smiled pleasantly, partially amused that Happy had used what she’d taught him in the bathroom.

“Are you alright? You look tired.” Happy slowly got to his feet, bringing a hand to his back when it ached.

“I could definitely use a stiff drink, that’s for sure.” Relieved that Happy was doing alright, Scarlett finally let her guard down. “Come on, we’ve got to go see how your boss is holding up.” Nodding toward the hallway, Scarlett waited for the driver to start making his way up the stairs.

“Have you seen Pepper? Do you know if she’s okay?” Happy was out of breath and moving slowly, but Scarlett wasn’t going to complain. Before she could respond, someone had grabbed her wrist and tugged her down the hallway. She stumbled but didn’t fall and turned to find that the man she’d knocked unconscious with the butt end of the gun earlier, or at least she thought she had, was back on his feet and as angry as ever. Getting into a defensive stance, Scarlett was surprised when he lifted her off of her feet entirely.

Reaching for his coat or something to grab onto so that when he let her go, she wouldn’t go far, Scarlet wasn’t able to get her hands on anything. When the man threw her, she slid across the balcony, right to the edge. Making a mad grab for the metallic beam that had fallen earlier from the ceiling Scarlett tried to use it to pull herself up but instead it shifted and started to slide from where it had been precariously balanced.

“Oh, come on!” Gritting her teeth in frustration, Scarlett managed to keep from falling off the edge but just barely, laying right at the end of it. When the metal beam finally crashed down it took part of the balcony with it. The ground crumbled beneath Scarlett. She scrambled to her feet to try and get away but it had happened too quickly so instead she gripped onto the flooring of the remaining balcony. Her right hand slipped but her left hand managed to find a grip and held tight. Shoulder aching from the awkward hanging position, Scarlett quickly found a place for her right hand to grab onto.

When the metal beam hit the ground below it shook the whole room. Holding onto the edge of the balcony, Scarlett held her breath and waited, hoping that the damage done to the ground below wouldn’t further affect the structural integrity of the balcony that held her life in its hands.

After the dust settled below she tried to climb back onto the balcony but was struggling to find the upper body strength to do it. Just as she thought she might have found a way the man who had thrown her so far off the edge was above her. He smashed his foot on her left hand which flew instantly off of the balcony, recoiling from the pain. Quickly she threw it back onto the edge so she wouldn’t be caught with only one hand there. Scooting her hand out of the way as the man took a second chance to smash her fingers, Scarlett grabbed onto his ankle and tried to pull herself up using his weight. The ground beneath her hand started to loosen and panic sent through her like a shock.

Abandoning her grip on his leg, Scarlett hurried along the edge of the balcony. When her attacker tried to back away she grabbed onto the hem of his pants and tugged hard. This threw him off balance and knocked him to the floor below, right on top of the metal beam which resulted in a sickening thud of flesh against metal. Closing her eyes once she had affirmed her grip on the balcony Scarlett regained her clarity before starting to scramble onto the side of the balcony.

When she shifted something cracked ahead of her. Looking around for the source of the crack with shifty eyes she grimaced when she realized the balcony was going to fall apart piece by piece with her on it if she made too many sudden movements.

“Happy! I could really use your help right now!” Scarlett yelled, trying to peek over the balcony but it was no good. Her upper body strength was finally starting to fail her. Behind her she could hear the sound of mechanics failing and Tony’s repulsors going off. He’d been busy tackling the three remaining robots. The one without its arms was dismantled and lying on the ground useless, but the other two had put up a fight.

The three remaining robots kicked into high gear once the first had been taken care of. Whoever was on the other end of the signal controlling the robots must have realized that their secret had been discovered and if they weren’t crafty, their weapons would be easily destroyed and harmless.

Tony ducked the one armed robot, turned around and fired at the second one and then turned on his thrusters to quickly fly backwards out of the way of the third. Flipping easily around in the air, Tony guided the Mark V back to the robot with one arm and stunned it with his repulsors. Soaring through the air, Tony crashed, fist first, into the robot sending them both flying against the floor. The robot retaliated with its one arm and grabbed onto Tony’s leg, flipping the Mark V into the ground and hard at that.

Ground still shaking, Tony aimed his hands at the floor beneath him and forced his thrusters on full blast to push him upright. Turning to look at the one armed robot as it pushed itself off the ground, Tony aimed his repulsors and fired on full blast. The ray of energy coming from his suit was initially absorbed but the force of it couldn’t be. Skidding on its side, the robot fell to the ground and crashed into the wall which caused the building to shake further. 

Flying quickly over to the downed robot, Tony pulled the metallic panel off of the back of the robot which tried to shock him in response. Thankfully the Mark V armor only absorbed the energy of the shock. Wrapping his fingers around the wire he found there he tugged hard until it finally gave. The robot whined and died, collapsing to the ground just as Scarlett had told him that it would.

Dust and debris were raining from what remained of the ceiling. If the fighting continued much longer he’d be buried which didn’t concern him as much as the idea of Scarlett and Happy being somewhere still in the building when it happened.

Not waiting to watch the robot completely turn off, Tony turned on his heels and flew immediately at the next robot which had been coming after him anyway. Jarvis automatically targeted the joints of the beast while Tony fired several small missiles from compartments on the arms of the Mark V armor. Each hit its intended target and knocked the robot back but not off of its feet. Aiming both arms up at the Mark, Tony didn’t give it the chance to fire its weapons. Instead he flew straight into the thing. Unable to see where he was going with the robot in his line of sight he crashed straight into the wall, hitting one of the few supports left.

Nearby on the balcony Scarlett had nearly managed to climb her way back onto what was left but the blow that Tony had sent crashing into the wall had been the final straw for the balcony. Pieces of the wall nearby began to fall on either side of her, the floor of the balcony splitting and starting to buckle. Happy finally appeared in the hallway but before he could try to help her, the floor started to groan beneath him as well.

Contemplating still asking him to come and help her, Scarlett kept her grip on the collapsing balcony and shook her head as she looked at him. Happy hesitated in the hallway but then was distracted by one of the lights falling nearby.

“Go!” Scarlett yelled at him sternly, now starting to look beneath her to try and find a way to jump down without breaking, at the very least, her foot. Deciding with her wounded leg she wouldn’t be jumping and managing any landing properly and it wasn’t worth the risk, Scarlett decided to hold onto the balcony instead. If she could time her fall off of it properly then she could stand a chance. Then again, if she managed to land and the balcony just collapsed on _top_ of her it could be just as bad a situation for her. Still, it was the only foreseeable chance she could manage. Her odds were bad with each choice she came up with, but at least this way she had a fifty-fifty chance of keeping her limbs intact.

Happy cursed and then retreated down the hallway, not out of fear or cowardice but so he could try to find a way to get into the ballroom to perhaps soften Scarlett’s blow when she inevitably fell off of the collapsing balcony. There was nothing he could do to help her from where he was at the moment.

Tony was forced to ground the Mark V when the robot tried to force him backwards. Anchoring his feet in place on the remaining marble floor so he wouldn’t slide any further, Tony blasted the robot’s chest with his repulsors to knock it back. Removing the anchors from his boots he rose back into the air, flew around the robot which followed him to try and protect its backside.

Gunshots came from behind, barely audible over the sounds of the collapsing building around them. The other remaining robot showered the back of the Mark V with bullets but Tony decided it best not to turn around to deal with the onslaught until after he’d finished up. Ducking down, Tony flew between the robots legs and then crashed at full throttle into the back of it. Crashing against the robot, Tony held it by its mid-section tightly and smashed them both into the ground, sliding into the center of the ballroom. Face down now, the robot whirred and tried to force the Mark V off of it.

Not wasting any time, Tony kept his grip on the robot and lasers from the shoulders of the Mark aimed and cut away a portion of the back panel so that the wire attached to the receiver would be accessible. Grabbing onto it, Tony pulled until it gave and the robot stopped struggling beneath him.

“Sir, the building is coming down. You have approximately five minutes before you’re trapped beneath the rubble of the ballroom.” Jarvis echoed within the helmet and displayed a timer in the bottom left corner of the Mark V’s display. “And that is being optimistic.”

“Great, I guess I’ll just have to hurry it up then, won’t I?” Tony was out of breath but invigorated since he realized there was only one robot left to disarm. Gunfire showered the back of his armor again and this time he turned to address it, throwing up the fanned out shields on the forearms of the Mark V armor. “Any word on Happy or Scarlett?” Contemplating his plan of attack for the last robot, he waited for Jarvis to respond.

“No location on Mr. Hogan sir but it seems Miss Damien is in a rather sticky situation.” Turning his attention temporarily away from the robot at Jarvis’ mentioning he noticed Scarlett hanging on the edge of the balcony that was starting to collapse away from the wall, the way that the one on the opposite end had done.

“Scarlett, hang on!” Tony yelled, Jarvis projecting his voice without having been instructed to.

“Was that supposed to be a joke?” Scarlett hissed, not counting on anyone to come and save her.

“Just hang on okay?” Tony turned his attention back to the last robot.

“Like I could do anything else.” Scarlett chuckled, but gritted her teeth, bracing herself for another injury that would set back her plans even further. Tony couldn’t help but smile. Even in the face of death or serious injury she retained her sense of humor.

“Power to chest repulsor.” Tony instructed Jarvis, waiting for the arc reactor to charge the repulsor.

“Any day now!” Scarlett felt her grip starting to falter on the balcony. Her shoulders were aching and her fingers were starting to give under pressure. It was too much to hold onto something so fragile. Creaking, louder than that of the balcony came from above echoing throughout the ballroom. Scarlett turned her attention to the sound and widened her eyes. “I’d hurry if I were you!” The ceiling was finally giving out entirely. If anything else fell onto the balcony that was on its way down, she wouldn’t be able to keep hold of the edge any longer.

“Jarvis, I need you to keep an eye on Scarlett and let me know when I’ve run out of time.” Tony gritted his teeth then pulled his arms out of the way and stumbled backwards from the force that came with the spray of bullets. “Fire chest arc.” Tony braced himself as the energy came flying out of the center of the suit and knocked the robot clean across the room, near the balcony.

“Sir, I do believe you’ve run out of time.” Jarvis alerted him.

“I just need ten more seconds, Jarvis.” The Mark V rushed over to the robot on the ground and kicked it onto its back. It was sparking and ticking, malfunctioning horribly. Thankful for the malfunction, Tony ripped the back panel of the robot open and pulled at the wire but as he did the robot exploded.

The force of the explosion threw Tony back, the power within the Mark V flickering dangerously as it had earlier. Sitting up quickly, his ears ringing from the sound of the explosion even though it was muted by the suit he wore, Tony realized that only a portion of the robot had blown up, the other parts apparently having not functioned properly. Cursing under his breath, Tony flew into the air, dodging a bit of debris that came down from the ceiling. The room was collapsing.

“Jarvis I need you to target Scarlett, now!” Tony flew toward the balcony through the smoke of the explosion. Part of the ceiling crashed into the balcony which was the last straw for the slowly descending floor. Trying to see the ground below her through the smoke, Scarlett knew that she could manage to land and survive, but if the building came down on top of her then she’d die anyway.

Deciding the only way she could get to cover would be if she dropped before the balcony, Scarlett planned to let go. The part of the ceiling collapsed into the balcony and Scarlett lost her grip. Gritting her teeth and bracing herself to feel pain and still function, Scarlett was astonished when the Mark V came soaring through the smoke.

“Faster Jarvis!” Tony shouted, heading toward Scarlett as quickly as he could.

“I do believe that is in your control sir, not mine.” Jarvis responded though the processes on the screen alerted Tony that Jarvis had transferred all extra power to the thrusters in his suit. A few feet from the ground, Tony managed to catch Scarlett and then immediately turned around and started out of the ballroom.

Instinctively, Scarlett wrapped her arms around the shoulders of the Mark. Her heart was pounding in her chest though she knew they weren’t out of the woods yet. The ballroom was collapsing and if they didn’t get out, Scarlett would still be crushed.

Deciding to have faith in the Mark V, Scarlett simply watched and hoped that Tony would still be able to dodge and maneuver while carrying her. Swooping left then right beneath a collapsing beam, Tony kept one arm securely around Scarlett and held his right hand out, palm up.

“Hold on tight.” He instructed then used his repulsors to blow up the debris in his way to create an opening in the collapsing ceiling large enough for them to get through unscathed. Flying up into the night sky, finally out of harm’s way Tony turned so they could watch the remainder of the ballroom collapse piece by piece in on itself.

Breathing shakily from the adrenaline of the situation, Scarlett could only hope that somewhere inside the building, Happy had managed to get to safety. Realizing what a miracle it was that she’d gotten out of the chaos of the ballroom safely she turned to glance at the Mark V. Grabbing both sides of the helmet Scarlett planted an exasperated but excited kiss on the Mark then she smacked the side of the helmet and hard. Tony popped the front of the helmet open and shook his head to shake off the reverberating feeling her smack had given him.

“That’s for letting dangle for so damn long!” Scarlett laughed then wrapped her arms around his shoulders again and leaned her head heavily down against him. She had never expected him to save her and she never would have asked him to but now that he had she was more than grateful. Tony was torn between being angry at her for having created robots that nearly killed him and his closest friends and grateful that she was alive. Not to mention how good it had felt to have her kiss his helmet. It was _almost_ as good as getting the actual kiss on his lips. Regardless of how damn good it felt, she certainly had some explaining to do.

“Sir, Mr. Hogan is trying to call the phone you destroyed in the ballroom.” Jarvis interrupted Tony’s complex thought patterns. “He is alright but trapped within the first floor hallway of the building. Perhaps you should assist him.”

“Good, very good… Thanks Jarvis.” Tony smirked and then started to descend around to the side of the building away from the crowd that had gathered in the garden. He’d make sure his driver was safe, get them home and then demand answers.


	25. A Little Honesty Never Hurt

“What did you mean, back in the ballroom, when you told me you… _designed_ those things?” Tony held an ice pack to his head as he walked into his living room. Scarlett had her back turned to him, trying to pull the remaining pins out of her hair to get it out of the mess it had been put into during the scuffle at the charity event. “Because while I took that literally out there, I realized it could mean a few things. Or you could’ve been joking which would be pretty… crappy of you. If you don’t mind I could use some clarification.” 

It’d taken Tony twenty minutes to maneuver his way back into the collapsed building without causing further damage to the structure so he could free his driver from the place he’d hidden in the stairwell when it’d started to crumble. Afterwards the group had been debriefed, given their statements and denied medical attention. Well, at least Scarlett and Tony had declined medical assistance in favor of allowing others injured to receive it first.

After finding out what Happy had done to help Scarlett, Tony had given his driver the next few days off and sent him to the hospital to get his broken hand mended and taken care of. Tony had also insisted that Pepper accompany him to the hospital to make sure that Happy was taken care of and then sent promptly home. Having been offered a few days off as well to recover from the traumatic experience, Pepper had instead insisted she would be back the next day to continue with her duties regardless of the situation. 

Tony could only assume that it meant she’d be there to check on him to make sure he’d taken care of himself by the morning. His track record when it came to his wellbeing wasn’t exactly reliable. Leonard had been taken to the hospital the moment the paramedics had arrived at the scene along with a handful of other people who had suffered more severe injuries during the attack. The paramedics had promised to contact Pepper when they had any news of his condition and to get in contact with his fiancé as soon as possible.

“Well, I designed them. What else could I _possibly_ mean by that?” Scarlett gave up on trying to free her hair and started to dust her gown off. The dress she’d worn to the party was worse than ruined thanks to the men she’d been accosted by. It was a damn shame too because she’d actually been rather fond of it once she’d gotten used to wearing it.

“You know that’s not what I was asking, Scarlett.” Tony unbuttoned what remained of his dress shirt and discarded it onto the floor near the couch before resting the ice pack draped on the back of his neck so he didn’t have to hold it. The undershirt he had on beneath was stained with dirt and blood but still looked better than the tattered dress shirt had.

“What is it you want me to say?” Pretending to continue to dust off her dress seemed easier than actually approaching the problem at hand so Scarlett kept focused on her task.

“ _What is it I expect you to say?_ Are you kidding me with that line right now?” Cautiously approaching her, Tony leaned against the wall behind Scarlett and watched the way she stiffened up uncomfortably. It was time for her to give him the answers he’d been seeking since he’d found her but not for the reasons he’s originally wanted them. 

People had been seriously injured, chaos had erupted and it was because of something she had done. Happy had filled him in on how the men were pursuing her in the hallway and trying to subdue her then take her away while the robots distracted Tony in the main room of the charity. It was clear that it hadn’t been something that Scarlett had been planning to have happen, but she knew far more about the attack than she was letting on. 

Tony couldn’t keep her safe from the men pursuing her if he didn’t have any of the details. He was guessing now that the men he’d fought the other night on the highway had been attempting to abduct her as well. While he’d initially been angry when he’d heard Scarlett confess she’d designed the drones, it had faded quickly into worry and fear.

“It’s not a _line_. Tell me what you want to hear, Stark and I’ll say it.” Scarlett shrugged her shoulders and leaned the side of her head against the wall. There were no options left for her other than to tell the truth. While she’d always planned to share part of what had happened with her in Africa, she was finding it harder than she expected to bring herself to actually say it. Why should she make herself vulnerable to him?

Who was she kidding anyway? She was _already_ vulnerable to him and far more so than she ever intended to be. In fact, she was sure she’d never been so vulnerable before in her life before anyone.

“Do you think there’s something specific I want to hear? I want the truth, Scarlett.” There was a bite to his voice that he hadn’t meant. Even though he was worried for her, he couldn’t help but feel the smallest hint of betrayal. Why did he feel betrayed? She’d made it clear from the beginning that she wasn’t being honest with him. Perhaps he thought they’d moved past that or that she would _want_ to be honest with him. Why would he think that in the first place? Tony was confused by his own thoughts on the subject.

“Are you waiting for me to tell you some sob story about what happened to me, Stark? There isn’t any sappy story. You’re searching for a damsel in distress to rescue and I don’t need a damn knight in shining armor to keep me on my feet, okay? What I have to tell you isn’t what you’re going to want to hear.” There was still no bitterness in Scarlett’s voice, even though she was trying to find some edge for it. She knew better than to think that Tony was the brat who avoided the situations that didn’t go the way he desired, but wasn’t ready to admit it outside of her mind. Somehow, saying it out loud seemed to make it more realistic than saying it secretly in her head.

“Okay, there are two things wrong with that.” Tony walked away from the wall and around Scarlett, ultimately leaning on it again in front of her so that he could be face to face with her. Talking to the back of her head wasn’t his style. He couldn’t get a read on her even when they were face to face, but he couldn’t hear the anger that she’d expressed when they’d first fought with each other days ago and it worried him. Perhaps she was just avoiding explaining her story to him out of nerves. It wasn’t like he thought expected it would be easy for her to talk about the chaos she’d created but he needed to know the details.

“Oh really?” Scarlett scoffed, folding her arms over her chest and glaring up at Tony, trying to keep her demeanor cold and hard toward him but already faltering. “Enlighten me, please.”

“I know you’re not some damsel in distress waiting for me to save, Scarlett. Trust me, you’ve made that more than perfectly clear since the moment we met. But you _are_ in over your head and you know it as well as I do! You can sit here and act tough all you want but I can see it weighing on your shoulders! I’m not trying to _save_ you or keep you on some pedestal I just need to know what I’m up against. How am I supposed to figure out how to deal with you if I don’t even know what you’re dealing with?”

“Deal with me? _Deal_ with me, Stark?” Scarlett was half amused by the way that he’d explained their situation and half annoyed at the same moment.

“I phrased that wrong, didn’t I?” A smirk flashed across Tony’s face until Scarlett used what he’d said as a reason to be mad at him. She was taking whatever ammunition she could get in order to avoid talking to him about what she was up against.

“Damn right you did, I’m not some business problem you have to sweep under the rug.” Ranting at Tony was easy enough, considering that half of what came out of his mouth could be twisted into an insult. Why was it so hard to admit what she’d gone through and what had resulted from it? Clearly she’d gone through worse in the past but something about being honest about how bad it had gotten was a struggle for her. Was it because she was afraid to admit that something she had only meant to prolong her chances of escape had turned into a weapon used to harm others? Scarlett was becoming a stranger within her own mind and it scared her, but that wasn’t something she was ready to admit either.

“I never said that you _were_. There’s no way I could sweep you away under the rug. I wouldn’t want to anyway, you’re much nicer to look at right here.” Tony shook his head, holding his hands up defensively, hoping to get her to back off of that particular comment he’d made. It was clear she was in defensive mode. The last thing they needed was for the both of them to be jumping down each other’s throats simply because the conversation was making them uncomfortable. Granted, Tony wasn’t very good when it came to serious conversation to begin with so this was out way further out of his comfort zone than he’d expected it to be.

“You said there was a second thing.” Scarlett rolled her eyes and looked into the living room at nothing in particular, simply to avoid looking at Tony in general. Even though she’d started the argument over his wording, she couldn’t keep it up. She wasn’t the type of girl to drag out something petty when there were serious matters at hand.

“Yes there was. Stop calling me _Stark_. It’s getting ridiculous now, really!” Tony slumped his shoulders and winced, recalling the annoying wound that had only been further irritated thanks to his fight against the robots. _Fight_ wasn’t really the word for what had happened until he’d gotten his suit back. It had really been an hour of him running around like an idiot and trying to stay out of the line of fire. Before Scarlett could respond, Tony continued. “You called me Tony earlier! You called me Tony _twice_ out there actually. You obviously _want_ to call me that, so why don’t you just… embrace that urge… and any other urges you may have at that?”

“Stark, I hardly think that really matters right now.” Scarlett scoffed. She’d known that having called him Tony in the ballroom would backfire on her at some point.

“Come on, when we were dancing out there earlier… When I pulled you away from Gatsby, you called me Tony.” He inched closer, his arm against the wall as he glanced back down at her. “Then again on the balcony… you were all worried about me that time, I think. I almost thought I was hallucinating when I heard you, considering how much you _love_ to use my first name.”

Scarlett didn’t bother defending the reasons she’d called him by his first name. When she wasn’t thinking about what she was saying it simply slipped out of her lips. It was natural to call him Tony, not Stark. She was only calling him that in an attempt to keep her distance from him which was a plan that had failed miserably. Instead of responding, she turned her back to him and continued to dust off her dress.

“What is it you’re so afraid of, Scarlett?” Once Tony was sure that Scarlett was ignoring his last request, he continued on to more serious matters.

“I’m not _afraid_ of anything, _Stark._ ” Scarlett emphasized his name, simply to assure him that she wasn’t done calling him that.

“God damnit.” Tony smacked the wall in annoyance, resulting in another annoying sting in his shoulder. “I need to know when you designed those robots, Scarlett, and why. This isn’t a joke anymore!”

“Then maybe you should stop treating it like one.”

“Tell me the truth!” Tony grabbed Scarlett by her shoulder then spun her around to for her face him, holding tightly onto her so she couldn’t turn away from him again.

Instead or recoiling or smacking him like Tony had expected her to do, Scarlett simply stared at him and contemplated how to start sharing her story. She’d made him fight for it long enough and now it was time to come clean. Well, as clean as Scarlett could come in this situation. Telling him what had happened with MedCo hadn’t originally been part of the plan, but as things had changed and developed it had become clear to her that she wouldn’t get anywhere without sharing at least part of her story. Would it be lying if she didn’t tell him everything that had happened? Technically she wouldn’t be making anything up so it wouldn’t be a lie. She’d just conveniently be holding back part of the truth.

Tony found that he’d loosened his grip on her shoulder as he watched something change in her demeanor. Maybe that’s why their fighting had felt off since they’d gotten home. Scarlett looked incredibly defeated. Part of him wondered if he should point that out to her or not. If she would just admit that seeing the chaos unfold in the ballroom because of her had affected her on more than a physical level, then he could help her deal with it or at least offer her a stiff drink. 

Then again, if the tables were turned he’d likely be doing the same thing she was. Humor and anger were the greatest defense mechanisms in tough situations. Something told Tony that Scarlett didn’t exactly _love_ to share her feelings or to revisit the things she’d been traumatized by and while Tony understood he couldn’t live in the dark any longer if she planned on staying in his house. And more than anything, for whatever reason he was still trying to figure out, he didn’t want her to leave.

Scarlett pulled away from Tony’s grip on her shoulder and walked to the pristine white couch in his living room, sitting down on the very edge of it. Resting her head in her hands she took a deep breath and then exhaled as she considered her tale. Just as Tony was about to speak to break the awkward silence that had grown between them over the past few moments, Scarlett rested her hands on her knees and cleared her throat.

“I’d had a bad run about a year ago.” Scarlett looked at the floor, finally deciding where to start her story. She wasn’t completely sure of the timeframe. Considering what she’d been through, she thought she could be excused when her days started running together and becoming blurs in her memory. Tony leaned with his back against the wall, his arms folded over his chest. The light of his arc reactor shone through his undershirt, shining brighter than the lights that Jarvis kept dim overhead. “A job I’d taken had gone sour and I’d gotten hurt.” She’d decided it best not to go into any further details on the subject matter. While Tony was curious, he decided it best not to ask about what had happened considering she was barely willing to talk about MedCo. “An acquaintance of mine suggested I take a lower key job to avoid any further danger until I was back on my feet.”

“That worked out well for you, didn’t it?” Tony scoffed, but listened intently sure that she’d had similar thoughts when things for her _low key_ job had gone sour.

“I checked out the company in question the best that I could. They had a pretty convincing front set up. I figured they were a safe temporary situation that I could use to gather my bearings. I was told that I’d be doing work to further advance limb replacement technology. Right now, particularly in the third world, the resources for people who have lost pieces of their bodies is… non-existent. If I could develop something that really replaced a limb… and I mean _really_ replaced it, veins, tissue, feeling… everything… I would have done a great service to the world.”

“Almost like a way to redeem yourself.” Tony spoke knowingly. Scarlett turned her head sharply to look at him. She’d never considered what she’d been hired to do for MedCo as redemption for her misdeeds. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense, and the more her stomach turned with discomfort.

“It was temporary.” Repeating what she’d earlier stated she continued, “I started with the technological side of it because that’s what I was most familiar with. The only catch MedCo had was the list of specifications they required for my prototype. At first it was only benign things like range of motion and reaction time.” Shifting uncomfortably and glancing back at her hands like they were interesting, Scarlett found it easier to tell her story without looking at Tony. “A few weeks later, the specifications list got longer and more conflicting. Every week they’d add something new and try to justify it with some ridiculous story. I became suspicious after the second change that MedCo wanted more than replacement limbs from me.”

“My friend thought I was being suspicious and paranoid. I was told I had spent too much time in the underworld to know when a company was legit. But with my engineering background, it was suspicious that they’d hire me in the first place considering they were supposed to be a medical company. Nothing added up and when things continued to change shadily I did a little digging, if you know what I mean.”

“You did a little hacking.” Tony clarified which was confirmed when Scarlett nodded her head.

“I intercepted a company memo that referred to my project as a weapon.” Sighing and wiping her hand over her face, Scarlett continued with her eyes closed. She could picture the scene unfolding in her mind, the moment she found that memo printed on Stark Industries letterhead that had made her aware of what was happening right underneath her nose. That was one of the truths she’d decided to withhold. 

She glanced over at Tony to see if there was any sign of panic over his face but there was none. If he knew about the memo she’d found she would expect to see recollection in his eyes, but he seemed to simply be listening intently. He was either an exceptional liar, or he was being genuine. Perhaps she _had_ become paranoid from spending too much time in the underground.

“I confronted the owners of the company and told them I wouldn’t be completing my work and still expected to be paid for the time I’d spent there working.” Without realizing it, Scarlett had placed her hands on the opposite elbows and shivered, like she was cold from the memory of it. “I was forced into captivity after that and told that I would create a drone weapon, not unlike your Mark suits but unmanned.”

“You don’t strike me as the kind of person to be held prisoner quietly.” Tony had lowered his voice and hadn’t taken his eyes off of her since she’d started talking. He hadn’t even bothered to blink. If he did, he might miss something important in her body language.

“They held my friend prisoner and told me that if I didn’t cooperate they’d be killed.” Scarlett was very careful with her words. There was no reason Tony had to know that the friend who suggested the job was once her lover. It wasn’t like the relationship had ever been that serious to her in the first place. Guilt turned in the pit of her stomach again. Had she ever intended to be serious with Scott? Or had she simply accepted his romantic advances because it was easier than rejecting him? Unable to consider that right now, she shoved it out of her thoughts for the time being. Someday, the things she pushed out of her mind would catch up with her and she had a feeling the end of the road would be coming sooner than she was prepared for. 

Tony didn’t respond, but rather stayed stone faced when he realized what had kept her working on the drones. He was reminded of the man he was held with during his time in captivity. While he hadn’t been forced to work for the sake of the life of the man who had saved his, he had felt responsible for him. When she didn’t continue on and simply wiped her hands across her lips, smearing her lipstick just slightly on her chin which distracted Tony immensely for a moment, he decided to prompt her to continue. “What happened next?” The lipstick smear only seemed to highlight her lips further, which didn’t even make sense to Tony but he couldn’t help but think it.

“I couldn’t do it even under those circumstances. There wasn’t a part of me that was okay with what MedCo was up to and you were right, Tony.” Scarlett made no attempt to fix her blunder with his name and turned to instead look up at him. “I’m not the kind of girl to remain under someone’s thumb and keep quiet.” Offering Tony a small smile, Scarlett looked away from him again. Tony’s heart stopped entirely when she used his name and so casually at that. His brain was working in overdrive, interpreting her signals in a thousand different ways, none of which he was sure of. “I spent weeks planning escapes where I could save my friend and make a clean getaway for the both of us but it was hard considering how the odds were stacked against me.”

“But, being held captive by a hostile company requires something to show, particularly when there are cameras on you at nearly all times. I had to build something to keep the sharks at bay.” The memories of what she’d gone through seemed worse than it had felt when she’d been experiencing it. How long had she starved? How often had she gone without a proper night’s sleep? How much pain had she been in after her escape attempts? None of these things mattered now. Scarlett had to keep her focus on the game she was playing or she’d lose her hand.

“So, I started on blueprints for a drone. I made sure that, at all times, the prints would be out of the view of the cameras overhead and that they were not to leave my sight. I didn’t want what I was designing to make it out into the world. That’s why those drones were unfinished.” She was torn mentally on this part of her tale. 

Who had managed to get a good enough look at her blueprints in order to replicate the drones that she’d designed in captivity? How had the robots she’d designed as a means of escape come to fruition to work against her? “I never meant for them to be finished. I never added any weapons or anything like that to the drones. I concentrated on defense so it would look like I was working. I filled the bodies with explosives so that I could trigger an explosion that would give me time to get away.”

Tony suddenly understood why the defenses on the drones he’d fought were so extravagant and why the weaponry and targeting seemed so cheap in comparison. Someone had taken Scarlett’s unfinished work and had attempted to complete it. It was a tribute to the beautiful way that Scarlett could design and work to see how well the pieces she’d designed had functioned.

“I made several attempts to get out before I actually could.” Scarlett smiled slightly and shook her head. “None of them went well but I knew they wouldn’t kill me because they needed me. Those attempts at escape were more like… tactical missions to gather information.”

“It looks like they still need you.” Tony frowned, not ready to ask what had been the result of her escape attempts. If it had been anything like his experiences, it was likely too traumatizing to talk about. It would explain why she’d been so unhealthy when he’d found her in the desert.

“Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?” Scarlett knew MedCo was sending her a message if nothing else. If she wasn’t going to come quietly back to them then they were going to follow her around and destroy every person who tried to help her until she surrendered and did what they said so that no one else would get hurt because of her. But Scarlett wasn’t the type to roll over and do what she was told in any situation as she’d mentioned earlier. “After a few failed escape attempts I knew that I had to leave with a bang. If I could blow up my prototypes remotely while I was on my way out then I could perhaps distract the guards from what I was doing. But, I had to find out where my friend was being held first. And that was the hardest part honestly… The facility was huge as you must have noticed.” Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. This part didn’t bother her to talk about as much as the part about captivity and betrayal did. Her escape attempts had always been under her control so there was nothing to be upset over in her opinion.

“It was and pretty technologically advanced.” Tony wasn’t ready to tell her why he was pursuing the rogue company yet. He’d alluded to his true reasons but had never completely explained why MedCo had been so important for him to eradicate. Just as she had been trying to do, he was on his quest for redemption. MedCo was using his weapons for less than benevolent purposes and against people like Scarlett. 

Even if she had done some terrible things in her past, she hadn’t deserved to be held captive and he was certain that her friend didn’t deserve to be used as leverage either. What he was really holding back was the connection to Obadiah Stane and how much of an impact it had made on his life. He’d never told anyone how lost he’d been and how hunting down his lost weapons had given him purpose.

“Yeah, they had some pretty intense security to boot.” Scarlett smiled in memory of Sergei, the guard who had helped her on several occasions. She hoped beyond hope that he was safe somewhere and hadn’t died on her account. The idea that he could’ve been lost because he’d shown her some simple kindness was crippling. Then again, what if he’d used her? What if _he_ was the one who had turned over her blueprints to MedCo? Maybe he’d been the one who had copied her blueprints while she’d been sleeping or injured from her escape attempts.

Her mind immediately rejected the idea of betrayal by Sergei just as it had done when she’d considered Scott as her enemy. The only enemy she faced was MedCo and Tony Stark and telling her story reminded her of why she was there in the first place.

“I can only imagine.” Tony grimaced, only realizing that he’d moved away from the wall to take a closer look at her when he had nothing behind him to lean on anymore which nearly caused him to stumble backwards.

“During a later escape attempt I’d managed to locate my friend but… you showed up first.” Scarlett lowered her head, avoiding looking at Tony more obviously than she had been before. Tony stayed silent even though he had a thousand things to say. Why did he suddenly feel guilty? Hadn’t he _saved_ her? “I didn’t know it was you until I woke up here. But the building was falling apart and the power had failed. I knew it was time to go. I was burning my blueprints so they couldn’t be recreated by anyone when one of the owners came in. He discovered what I was doing and realized the web I was weaving.” Tony winced and considered apologizing but held off. He’d make it up to her in some way or another.

“We fought and he sent the order to kill my friend.” Scarlett gritted her teeth and stayed silent for a moment. She considered telling him that she’d shot one of the three heads of MedCo the moment she’d gotten the chance but decided it was yet another detail she’d keep to herself. It wasn’t important for Tony to know what she’d done and the blood that was on her hands. Even though it was what she considered self defense, she still felt guilty. “He triggered the bombs in my drone limbs by accident and I ran for it. I couldn’t give up on my friend without being sure that the order had gone through. Given the electrical failure that had occurred within the building at the time, I wasn’t so sure about it. Not to mention the havoc you were wreaking on them… I could only assume that security would be all over you and not on top of my friend.”

“They were, trust me.” Tony didn’t smile, but tried to sound his usual optimistic self.

“I didn’t know it was you at the time though. I went after my friend in hopes I’d get there before the building collapsed. They were being held near the chemical labs and well… something went off inside of there after I arrived. That’s when I got the chemical burns. After the explosion I started through the desert and that guard found me and threatened me. That’s when I got shot and you showed up to my aid. I didn’t see you before I passed out.”

“I wasn’t sure you were going to make it when I found you.” Tony stepped closer, pulling the ice pack off of his neck and setting it down on the glass coffee table nearby. It wasn’t cold anymore or helping his soreness anyway so it seemed unnecessary. “You were touch and go at first but you began recovering rapidly once you were finally out of the woods.”

“When I woke up I thought MedCo had done something to me.” Scarlett shivered at the notion of being taken and experimented on by the wicked company. She wasn’t sure if the company did such things but something in her gut told her that they were trying to create weapons of every kind, including super humans. “When I saw those robots attacking you tonight Stark, I was shocked.” Looking up at Tony, she tried to show him just how sincere she was on the subject matter. There were plenty of things that Scarlett lied about or wasn’t completely honest about but this was not one of them.

“I was pretty shocked when you told me you’d designed them. And it’s Tony.” Tony chuckled, finally able to find his humor again. Now that he’d heard her story he wasn’t angry with her. It wasn’t her fault they’d come after him and while she should’ve told him earlier, he couldn’t exactly blame her for not wanting to tell him the whole truth.

“I noticed. You got yourself thrown out of a window because of it.” Scarlett glanced away from him. “I don’t know how my designs were replicated but I never intended those drones to make it into the public. I never thought those defenses would be put to use. God, I was only trying to buy more time to escape. This was the last thing I wanted!” Resting her head in her hands again, Scarlett had little else to say on the matter.

Now that she’d finished her story, Scarlett felt cold and hurt which wasn’t what she had expected. Sharing parts of her story with Tony was supposed to assist her not cause her more struggle. Instead it had backfired in her face like everything else she’d planned to do since she’d woken up. Maybe she was still lying unconscious in a laboratory somewhere, being manipulated by MedCo and this time with Tony was all some elaborate coma dream. Now she’d considered that she’d seen one too many science fiction films and shook off the idea of it.

Still, Scarlett couldn’t help but feel manipulated. For once in her life she’d been trying to work a real job that would do some real good and instead had ended up sending out a weapon of mass destruction upon the world which had been exactly what she’d been trying to avoid.

Scarlett felt cheated by the world. No matter what path she took, good or evil it seemed to backfire on her. She tried to keep herself busy time and time again but she’d either ended up injured, guilt ridden, or doing more evil than she’d ever intended. It left her feeling confused, cheated, and betrayed. These were things Scarlett had managed to avoid feeling for most of her life.

The only times she’d felt betrayal she’d been fueled by it to get revenge on those who had caused her to feel such things. When she’d woken up that had been her plan but the feelings that had budded for Tony had complicated things. Since the fuel for her revenge had started to dissipate she’d been forced to confront feelings she wasn’t yet ready to tackle.

Tony contemplated giving her a hug or offering her some comfort, but she was practically radiating vibes of discomfort. He could tell she didn’t want to be touched and partially worried she would lash out at him if she tried. While he usually wouldn’t mind rolling around with her in that dress, now didn’t seem the right time to push his boundaries.

“I think that after what we’ve been through, we both deserve a drink.” Tony walked across the room to the bar at the other end. While he usually would have had Jarvis prepare the drinks, he longed for something to do with his hands while he considered what to do next. Scarlett had finally been honest with him. Maybe on top of having her work with him on the project for clean energy, he could convince her to help him find the people responsible for her robots and take them out. He worried she would be out for blood for what had been done to her, so he’d have to test the waters first.

“As long as it’s a strong drink.” Scarlett muttered, head still in her hands.

“Honey, I don’t know how to make drinks that _aren’t_ strong. Tony filled two tall crystal glasses with some rum and then finished it off with some coke and a few ice cubes that came courtesy of an ice cooler hidden inside the bar. Once the drinks had been stirred with thin straws, he brought them back over to the couch and sat down right next to her

“Thank you.” Scarlett took her glass and took a long drink out of it. Silence followed while the two sipped their drinks, bloody, beaten and solemn. “I never wanted those things to come after you. I may not have liked you Stark, but I didn’t want to hurt you or anyone with those things.” Scarlett felt conflicted as she spoke. Her initial thoughts toward him had been murderous and here she was practically apologizing for having nearly killed him.

“Don’t worry about that.” Tony shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t know. I considered you might have planned it. My instincts told me better, but to be honest? I can’t get a read on you.” Tony glanced over at the bloodied, but lovely woman next to him. Her dress was torn and no longer fitting properly but in a weird way, it suited her. Then again, he was having a hard time finding something that _didn’t_ suit her. His opinion was becoming more and more biased in regards to her as time continued on.

“I would’ve doubted it too if I had been in your shoes. I wasn’t sure you would trust me at all after I mentioned I’d designed them. Not that I think you do trust me or that… that I want you to trust me.” Scarlett couldn’t believe she was covering up accidental confessions about what she wanted from Tony and took another long drink of her rum and coke. At this point she thought she was going to need many more drinks if the night continued down the rocky path it was on.

“I was just glad that you brought me my suit instead of running off with it.” Tony couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. Not only had she slipped up and called him Tony multiple times that night, but she’d also admitted that there had been a connection between them that was more than just the physical tug of sexual tension.

“Look, you may be a scumbag chauvinist with the biggest overinflated ego I’ve ever encountered in my life…”

“Oh, you flatter me.” Tony chuckled before sipping on his drink.

“Not to mention you love the sound of your own voice more than anyone ever should…” Scarlett rolled her eyes but a smile played on her lips. “Despite all of that… no matter how tempting the financial opportunity… I would have never left you to die, Tony.” Scarlett turned her head to the side to see Tony’s reaction.

He had been taken by surprise to say the least. Of all the things that she’d said that night, that had taken him the most off guard. Her motives had been unclear since the moment they’d met and here she was confessing that she would never leave him to die even if it meant risking her life to help him. And when he really sat to consider it, she’d stuck her neck out for him more than she ever should have during the battle in the ballroom. He’d been protected by a suit of armor and she hadn’t even been wearing shoes but she’d still stuck around even though she had clearly been the target of the attack at the charity event.

She could have just as easily escaped and gone into hiding but she’d found her way back into the ballroom, which had to have taken some effort considering the ground level exits had all been collapsed and the damage to the rest of the building that he’d surveyed was just as extensive. In the end, she’d saved his life by simply not abandoning him. It was more than what many people had done for him in the past.

Scarlett was still staring at him and waiting for a response. Tony kept his eyes on her, but couldn’t find the words to express what he was thinking. He honestly wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be feeling or how to translate what the burning sensation in his chest was. Was he losing his mind or did the arc reactor somehow feel warmer? It seemed too ridiculous to even consider.

Instead of speaking, Tony took a drink and turned his eyes away from Scarlett. Conflicting emotions were easier to handle with a little bit of booze.


	26. Torn

Ice clattered in the bottom of Scarlett’s empty glass. This had been her second drink since Tony had graciously refilled their glasses a few moments prior without her having to ask. Turning to her right she could see that Tony was nearing the end of his second rum and coke too. Before she could get up to refill their glasses for them, along with fulfill her curiosity to see what he had stocked in his bar at the other end of the room, Tony got up and snatched the glass from her hand. Quite purposely, he squeezed between her and the coffee table in order to walk past her and then headed back to the bar where he placed down the glasses at the edge and left them there, only to be replaced by two tall clean ones.

Clanking against the glass as he did, Tony dropped a handful of ice cubes into each one and then clicked his tongue while he browsed through bottles hidden beneath the bar. Finally he decided on an older bottle of scotch and stood up straight. With a mischievous smile he wiggled the bottle toward Scarlett who shook her head and laughed beneath her breath in response. She could smell the earthen liquid from all the way across the room the moment he pulled the lid open.

While he poured the alcohol in their glasses, clearly deciding he needed to make them the strongest of drinks, Scarlett tried her best to keep her attention on anything _other_ than Tony Stark. 

He could’ve kicked her out after she’d confessed what she’d done during her escape attempt. The guilt continued to tear away at her insides. At this rate she was going to end up with an ulcer in the next week at the latest. Why was the fact that she was lying to him bothering her so much? She _hadn’t_ lied, she reminded herself. She’d merely hidden some parts of her story. Everything she’d _told_ him had been true.

When he returned to the couch holding the glasses of scotch she’d barely noticed he’d made his way back. Clearing his throat to get her attention, Tony wondered if he should call a doctor to take a look at her. While he’d been carrying her out of the building he’d noticed the blood on the gauze wrapped around her thigh. Then again, if he called a doctor for her he’d _have_ to call one to look at _his_ wounds as well and that was something he was avoiding. The fact that he was a little bit of a baby when it came to minor pains was well known.

“Ground control to Scarlett, if you don’t take this glass of scotch soon I’m going to have to drink both. I wouldn’t want you to take advantage of me in my drunken state or anything.” The playful tone returned to Tony’s voice. Now that she’d shared some of her story with him, he was feeling back to his old self. Scarlett grabbed the glass from his hands, having realized she’d zoned out. Tony took his seat next to her again and took a long drink from his glass.

“I’m sure you’ll be taking advantage of yourself later on tonight, Stark.” Scarlett looked down at the scotch in her glass before taking a drink. “Besides, I don’t think you’d have to be drunk to have a girl take _advantage_ of you.”

“I’m going to get you to call me Tony.” He nudged her arm with his shoulder and winced. Scarlett set aside her glass and then turned to look at his shoulder to see why he sounded pained. His undershirt was torn, tattered, and stiff with caked blood. Dripping slowly down his arm, she could see fresh blood from how he must have pulled the wound while either bumping her or mixing drinks. She had been doing her best to try not to pay attention to the mess that had been made out of him. Guilt was doing a good enough job ravaging her insides without having to realize how much damage she’d done to someone she was trying desperately _not_ to care about.

Her attraction to him was a sickness in her own mind. Why was it that scraped up and bloody, he was more alluring than ever? Something had to be seriously wrong with her to think such things. Then again, the adrenaline coursing through her body after having worked with him so successfully all added to the attraction she felt. The blue light of his arc reactor was still all that lit the room, outside of the fireplace at the other end of it that Jarvis had lit for them upon entering. It was distracting to see it so close up, not because it was so odd that it was what kept him alive, but because it was such a powerful piece of machinery and beautifully constructed from what she could tell after having seen the Iron Man armor in action.

“What is it?” Tony could feel her staring at him and while he was enjoying the attention, he was still struggling to read what was going on in her mind. There was tension thick in the room ever since she’d told her story and while Tony wasn’t the type to really _mind_ tension, he couldn’t tell if it was the good or bad kind. He was hoping it was the good kind, considering how receptive she’d been to him saving her earlier in the evening. That kiss she left on his helmet was fresh in his mind. Maybe he could play on that and finally get past being so conflicted that he didn’t know how to make a move.

“You’re bleeding.” Scarlett glanced at his exhausted face and then back to his shoulder where she was pointing. “You should’ve gone to the hospital with Happy.”

“Me?” Tony chuckled, taking another long drink of his scotch. Alcohol made everything a little easier to deal with. It was probably an unhealthy way of thinking, but Tony had given up enough bad habits in the last year to justify this particular one. “If anyone should’ve gone then it should’ve been _you_.” With his free hand he hooked his index finger underneath her chin and tilted her head up. Bruises were forming around her neck from where one of the men had attacked her. Scarlett swatted his hand away and shook her head in a negative response.

“I can take care of myself, Stark. Besides, nothing that happened to me needs stitches. I’m a little banged up but trust me I’ve dealt with far worse.” Scarlett got up from where she was seated, trying to clear the air after being so close to Tony.

“Tony, it’s _Tony_. Are you sure that you don’t need to go to the hospital? I’m starting to suspect brain damage. You had it right earlier when we got all close together on the dance floor.” Smirking as he watched her walking around apparently searching for something, Tony took another sip of his drink. Scotch had long since been his favorite alcohol, but for the moment it helped him deal with the stress and pain of the wounds he’d sustained during battle. He’d worked up a decent buzz but it took more than three glasses to get him completely drunk. Buzzed was all he needed for the time being.

“This is still that important to you? Your priorities are screwy.”

“I feel like we’ve taken ten steps backwards.” Tony clicked his tongue in disapproval as he watched her searching his room. Her dress was tattered and her hair was pulled back in the most awkward of ways. It had obviously been messed with while she’d been fighting for her life. “You wouldn’t even tell me your name when we first met and you _finally_ got past that. Then you insist upon calling me Stark instead of Tony and it’s not even _Mr. Stark_ in some sexy naughty catholic school… girl… sort of… way…” Tony drifted off, clearly distracted by his own thoughts. Scarlett threw a glance toward Tony which brought him back to the conversation at hand. “What was I talking about?”

“I think I agree that _one_ of us is regressing.” Walking through the room, Scarlett was surprised that Tony hadn’t stopped her from looking around yet. She was guessing that there had to be a first aid kit hidden around somewhere. Due to the level of mothering that Pepper had done since she’d met her, she was assuming the woman was well prepared for any sort of danger, significant or not.

“Was that so hard to admit, Scarlett?” Tony knew that wasn’t what she was referring to but couldn’t help himself. “You called me Tony out of worry a few times but out there on the dance floor… Well, I really thought that was a breakthrough! Or were you panicked?”

“What on earth would I be _panicked_ about? Also I’m pretty sure I was referring to the fact that you have the sexual appetite of a teenage boy and the attention span of a flea.” Scarlett didn’t bother to keep her concentration on Tony while she took her search behind the bar.

“You were panicked because I was going to kiss you and you _wanted_ me to do it.” Tony admired her while she walked around the room, noticing the slight limp in her step. “What happened to your shoes anyway? I could’ve sworn you had heels on.”

“I think you would’ve noticed if I went to that event barefoot, Stark.”

“Trust me when I say that I had better things to look at than your feet tonight.” Smirking, Tony finally grabbed Scarlett’s wrist to stop her from meandering around the room when she walked in front of him to search the other side of it. “You’re doing that thing where you ignore my witty remarks again. I’m not a huge fan of it.”

“You’re insinuating that I felt some sort of sexual tug to you and it made me let my guard down and call you by your first name.” Scarlett looked at him skeptically and tugged her wrist away from his grasp.

“That’s _exactly_ what I’m insinuating. If you like we can spend some time you know… recreating that experience. I mean, if you think it’ll help get to the root of the problem here between us then… I’d be more than happy to dedicate my body to the cause.” The smile on Tony’s face was contagious, despite how ridiculous he was being. Scarlett couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head in dismay.

“If you really want to help me, then you can tell me where Pepper hides your first aid kits so I can stop that bleeding on your shoulder before you pass out.” Scarlett picked up her glass of scotch and took a drink out of it, still standing close to Tony.

“Oh no, that… that sounds like the opposite of helping you. It’s nothing, that thing on my shoulder. I mean, it hurts and it’s… kinda bloody but that’s… Well I got thrown across a room multiple times!” Tony stuttered, trying to think of a thousand different ways to get out of having to deal with what had been done to him.

“I feel like you just listed all the reasons _supporting_ my point.” Scarlett rested a hand on her hip. When Tony simply pouted at her and made his best attempt at puppy dog eyes, Scarlett simply started away from him again so she could go get the first aid kit she knew about in the lab downstairs. He actually had an impeccable pout, with glistening brown eyes and the slightest wrinkle in his chin when he did it. It was incredible how ridiculous and adorable he could be. Tony grabbed her wrist again and tugged her to keep her from going to, presumably, get a first aid kit to clean his shoulder with. “Stark, at the rate you’re drinking and losing blood you’re going to pass out before you get to take another pass at me so you really have to pick your battles here.”

“Call me Tony, just once.” Continuing to tug her closer, Scarlett didn’t resist very hard. She looked to be contemplating his request, batting her eyelashes and resting her finger on her cheek.

“No.” Scarlett spoke after her moment of thought and Tony couldn’t help but laugh. When she tried to pull away again he pulled her closer and slipped her artfully right into his lap. Giving him a skeptical look, Scarlett chose her words carefully. “I think you tried this once before, didn’t you? Do you remember how that worked out for you last time?” While she was threatening him, she didn’t make much of an attempt to move away.

“I think I _almost_ got a kiss out of you then, didn’t I?”

“Oh, is that what you thought I was doing?” Scarlett’s eyebrows shot up and she smiled playfully. Alcohol had eased her tension and allowed her to finally stop thinking about the consequences of what she _wanted_ to do. All that remained was the situation at hand, which seemed like loads of fun to her. Tony didn’t seem nearly as nervous as he had the times where they’d gotten closer beforehand. Something had changed between them, and Scarlett could guess that it had been the trust she’d shared with Tony by telling him parts of her story.

“What, when we were down in the lab and we got close and you… told me what a bad idea it was? You were definitely about to kiss me. If Pepper hadn’t walked in, it would’ve been _far_ more than just kissing.” Tony reached to touch Scarlett’s cheek, then instead grabbed his scotch glass and took a sip out of it. “Jarvis, do you mind?”

“You thought I was going to _kiss_ you?” Scarlett mused, chuckling under her breath. From the ceiling, just as it had when she’d cleaned her own wound days ago, a first aid kit descended. Scarlett plucked it from the tray it’d come from and smiled as the tray returned to its place above them. “Thank you Jarvis.”

“You’re quite welcome, Miss Damien.”

“Kiss ass.” Tony muttered before snapping his fingers in front of Scarlett in hopes of getting her attention away from the computer that had distracted her. “You know, I told him to send that down. You could _say_ that I’m the one you owe gratitude.”

“You only did it because you know I’ll call a doctor if you don’t let me help you.” Scarlett pursed her lips and then started to climb off of Tony’s lap, so she could find a better place to sit. Besides, sitting with Tony like that had begun to make her uncomfortable in ways that she was still working up to dealing with. She had to keep reminding herself that this was happening naturally. Despite how it had been part of her long term plan to seduce Tony, she was still struggling with how easily it was occurring. On top of that, it was hard to admit just how badly she _wanted_ it to happen and for more reasons than just revenge.

“Oh no, no, no… The deal is you can clean my wound if you stay right where you were.” Tony patted the spot on his lap where she’d been sitting.

“I’m pretty sure we’ve been through this and I’m not going to let you grind up against me while I’m taking care of you.” Scarlett laughed as she opened the first aid kit then let out an audible sound of surprise as he grabbed her by her hips and urged her to sit right where she’d been only a moment prior.

“You either sit there or I am going to throw the biggest tantrum you have ever seen come from a grown man.” Tony dared. “I promise to keep my hands away from the naughty parts, okay?”

“You’ll keep your hands to yourself entirely.” Scarlett responded after a moment left to her thoughts, considering his proposal. “And I’m going to need a refill on that drink if that’s the case.”

“Oh, it’s not _that_ bad.” Tony kept his hands on her hips, brushing his thumbs against the cloth just beneath her corset.

“That is _not_ keeping your hands to yourself.” Scarlett readjusted herself on Tony’s lap, her legs bent on either side of him. Then she leaned over and started pulling supplies out of the first aid kit. Grabbing a pair of shears from the kit, she moved to cut at Tony’s sleeve to get it away from the wound but Tony swatted at her hands to stop her. Rolling her eyes she sighed dramatically. “Look, this is going to take all night if you start throwing a fit before I even get to see what this wound looks like.”

“I’m _trying_ to be helpful.” Tony grabbed her hips again which she was surprised by and pushed her a little further back on his knees. Leaning away from the back of the couch he tugged on the bottom of his shirt and then started to pull it off.

“You don’t have to do that.” Scarlett started to object. Like the situation could get anymore sexual being short of the actual thing, now here he was stripping.

“This will be easier, isn’t it what we did last time?”

“Yes it is, but I can get it just fine without you giving me a show.”

“What, does this make you uncomfortable, Scarlett?”

“No, it does _not_ make me uncomfortable.” Laughing as he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it at her, Scarlett pulled it away from her face and tried to cover him back up with it.

“Then why are you turning red?”

“Now you’re just hallucinating, Stark.” Scarlett knew she couldn’t be blushing. “We’ve been drinking, that’s what happens. Rosy cheeks and all that.”

“Are you sure it’s not just my rugged, manly physique?” Tony purposely flexed to show off his muscles. Scarlett shook her head and swatted him with his shirt.

“Cut it out.” She laughed, tossing his shirt to the side on the couch.

“Oh come on, I’m trying to make you more comfortable.”

“Good job, Stark.” Scarlett laughed as he continued to flex and be overall absurd. Finally Scarlett grabbed his good shoulder and pushed him back against the couch, sitting up on her knees and straddling his hips.

Tony immediately stopped goofing off and looked up at the strong woman hovering over him with the rag in her hand.

“Just sit still for a few seconds. I know that must be incredibly difficult for an eleven year old like you.”

“That would make you _such_ a pedophile.” Tony laughed softly but then cleared his throat when she shot him a look. As Scarlett wet the rag and was about to wipe at the wound on his shoulder, he reached up and grabbed at the remaining pins in her hair and in one swift motion pulled her hair free of them. Her messy brown curls fell in her face and obscured her view nearly immediately. Slumping her shoulders and hanging her head, Scarlett sighed in dismay.

“ _Really?_ ”

“Really.” Tony reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, letting the tips of his fingers brush down the side of her neck afterward. Scarlett resisted shivering in response but Tony could feel the goose bumps that rose on her skin. “If you stop pulling it out of your face, I’ll stop freeing it to its natural state.”

“You don’t get to make that decision, Stark.” Sitting up straight, Scarlett ignored her freed hair. She’d tried to let it down earlier without much success anyway. How Tony had managed to get it free of the tangles she’d found it in was a mystery to her.

“It looks like I just… did.” Tony smirked, brushing his fingers down her arm.

“I thought I said no touching.” Scarlett didn’t turn away from his wound since he made it clear that he was distracting her and trying to keep her from causing him the discomfort he was sure to feel. Wiping the wet cloth over the wound to clean off the blood that had caked up, she could feel Tony tense immediately.

“I promised no _inappropriate_ touching… and I’m not really good at keeping those promises anyway.” Tony winced as he spoke, watching her while she worked. She really did seem to know what she was doing. Scarlett finished wiping the dried blood away from his wound and over his arm then held a clean piece of gauze over the bloody wound to keep it from dripping further. While she reached for the supplies to stitch up the wound she stopped to look over the scrapes and cuts on his body from having fought off the robots that had been sent to distract him.

“You really took a beating.” Scarlett sighed then shook her head sadly.

“What about you?” Tony touched the scrape on her shoulder that she’d received when she’d been thrown through the door of the bathroom.

“I’m fine.” Starting to stitch up his wound, Scarlett tried to keep concentrating on the action of cleaning and caring for him. Her heart was racing so she breathed slowly to try and regulate her emotional control over her rational mind, but it wasn’t working very well. The amount of alcohol she’d had was most certainly not helping the situation either.

“Really?” Tony snuck closer, his hand slipping over her shoulder, brushing her hair away and then onto the back of her neck, urging her to lean her head up which she initially resisted. “What happened here?” His lips were close to her neck and she could feel his hot breath on her skin.

“Someone got their hands on my neck, obviously.” Scarlett was trying and failing to ignore Tony’s touches and caresses. In fact she found that she was leaning into him rather than shying away as she’d intended. There was something intoxicating about being so close to him. Tony watched her in the light of his arc reactor. Her hands continued to work diligently on the wound on his shoulder which had started to numb to the pain that was being caused to it.

“I hope you kicked his ass.” Tony whispered, tugging her closer. The apprehension that he’d had the last few times he’d had an opportunity to kiss her had completely abandoned him. His brash confidence and skill had returned to him and he was merely biding his time to make the right move. She wasn’t pulling away or throwing up defensive walls left and right that he’d have to knock down. It seemed like she was giving him the all clear.

“It’s a shame that you weren’t there to see me do so.” Scarlett stopped when she became aware of the scruff of Tony’s well manicured and practically trademarked goatee brushing against the side of her neck. The urge to shiver was once again repressed, but the goose bumps arose to tell the true story. She’d never been into guys with facial hair before. Her type had always been clean cut, masculine, blond hair and blue eyes. If that was the case, why was this disheveled, scruffy, brown eyed pain in her ass turning her insides to jelly? Tony felt the goose bumps on her skin beneath his finger tips and knew she was fighting showing him her true reactions. In his true nature he pushed her further and let his hands slip down to her hips in hopes of pulling her closer on his lap.

He was surprised when one of her hands found his wrist and stopped him. When he froze, she pulled her hand away and continued to work diligently on his wound. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch?” She spoke quietly, forcing him to remain close just to hear her.

“Fine… fine.” Tony still couldn’t help but smile. She may have told him to back off but she hadn’t rejected him. On top of that, Tony didn’t think she really _wanted_ him to stop trying. To him, it felt like she just needed a nudge in the right direction. Continuing to finish up the stitches on the wound that she’d been cleaning, Scarlett stiffened up when Tony’s lips brushed against her neck. She hesitated to continue with her work, unsure if she should stop or not. On one hand she was aiming to manipulate him, on the other hand she didn’t want to use Tony the way she was planning on doing. And then there was the fact that his lips felt so damn nice against her neck.

She hadn’t realized that she’d stopped entirely just to feel his lips on her skin and had even tilted her head to the side, ever so slightly, almost as though she was encouraging him. It was natural to give in when that was so clearly what she wanted to do. Why shouldn’t she, at least for this one moment, get what she wanted? What was so terrible about that? Why was she struggling to take something she so desired? It was just sex. She’d done it many times before, and was damn good at it so it wasn’t like she was nervous. Or _was_ she? And if she was, then why?

“Does that bother you?” Tony couldn’t help but smirk, continuing to brush his lips over her neck, leaving small kisses on her skin every so often. Scarlett’s heart was racing a mile a minute but from the way Tony was breathing against her neck, she could feel that his was too. Was he nervous, or just over stimulated? Either way, it was _almost_ a relief to know that he was having similar reactions. Pulling on the last stitch she was sewing into his flesh, she tied it off and set the stitching tool aside before glancing down at him.

“I was just surprised at how quickly you ignored, once again, to stop with the inappropriate touches.” Scarlett could see the mischievous glint in Tony’s eyes and was surprised to see there were no motives hidden behind them. Tony chuckled in response. She was waiting for him to come back at her with a snarky remark about how her neck wasn’t considered an inappropriate place but instead he bridged the gap between them and engulfed her lips with his. His shoulder was throbbing in pain and while the alcohol had succeeded in dulling his discomfort enough to be tolerable, the distraction of Scarlett’s lips on his was more than enough to wipe it from his mind entirely.

While she considered pulling from his lips and playing hard to get, Scarlett found that her body acted far before her mind had agreed and had returned his kiss, and passionately at that. Apparently she wanted this _far_ more than she was admitting to herself. Could the last week she’d spent with Tony be deemed playing hard to get? Scarlett was willing to argue that it was, considering how many close calls they’d had since she’d woken up in his lab downstairs.

His scruff tickled against her chin and her lips and she shivered through kisses. Now that Tony had finally taken the plunge he’d found it hard to pull away. Her lips were surprisingly soft considering the nature of her career. Scarlett pushed herself onto her knees so she was sitting slightly above Tony and leaned her head down to continue kissing him. Her hair fell in his face so he pushed his hand to be tangled in it, in an attempt to move it out of the way. Resting her hand on the back of Tony’s neck she only pulled her lips away long enough to breathe.

Finally freeing his hand from her hair he slipped both arms around her and slid them down her back, locating the zipper on the back of her corset for later. Pulling her body closer to his with a swift tug, he made Scarlett lose her balance on her knees and forced his body back against the couch, her chest leaning against his. Undeterred by such things, Scarlett kissed sloppily at his lips through the near fall, her lips finding his chin accidentally and giving her a case of the shivers which finally became unavoidable.

Tony grinned between kisses, leaving a playful nip on her bottom lip as he did so before deciding to take a further step in their romantic endeavor. Slipping his tongue over her bottom lip he begged for entrance into her mouth and while she couldn’t help but smile, she accepted and allowed him to deepen the already rather intense kiss. The room suddenly felt much hotter than it had before. Scarlett’s fingers nimbly traveled over Tony’s torso, feeling the warmth of the reactor in his chest against her fingers, then the dips in his physique and the small scratches he’d received during his battle against the drones that had attacked him.

Tony sucked in his stomach, not out of embarrassment but because he hadn’t expected her fingers to go wandering. To say the least he was pleased. A low groan escaped his lips and he became more aggressive with his kisses, biting at her lips and tilting his head to deepen the kiss. Scarlett kept up with him and returned the heated passion in kind, letting her fingers explore over his body still, not willing to stop with how far she’d come. 

This was what she wanted and while the rest of the nonsense that came with it still confused the hell out of her, she knew that this particular moment was perfect.

Tony’s hands brushed down her arms, feeling the scrapes she’d acquired during their battle. There was something sexy about using the adrenaline built up during a fight and turning it into something sexual, which was clearly where they were headed. Resting his hands on her hips, Tony urged her to sit back down in his lap which she resisted at first but then gave into. If she was going to play this game with him, she had to know he was playing with a loaded gun. Scarlett recoiled and lifted her hips, breaking the kiss momentarily so she could glance down at what Tony had done.

Licking his lips nervously, Tony wondered if he’d pushed her too far. When she settled in his lap and returned to his lips, the nerves flooded away and were replaced with the thick overconfidence that was often one of his strongest attributes. His hands still at her hips, he urged them lower and over her backside. Before she could urge his hands away from there he moved them over her hips and thighs and finally beneath the shredded and tattered skirt of her dress.

Scarlett urged her hand to his neck, pulling him away from the back of the couch and pulling his lips back into the passionate kiss they’d been sharing. Tony kept his hands on her thighs, momentarily distracted by her lips then caressed lower and toward her knees. His scraped up hand stuck against the bandage over her wound and pulled at it.

Yelping in discomfort from his actions Scarlett accidentally bit Tony’s lip and she pulled away very quickly. Having forgotten about her leg, Tony winced visibly in light of his error.

“It’s fine.” Scarlett whispered, her leg throbbing all the while.

“No it’s not.” Tony tugged the cloth of her dress and pushed it aside so he could look at the bloody mess that had become the wound on her leg. “It was finally getting better.”

“It’s just sore because I pushed it too far.” Scarlett sighed, pushing her hair out of her face, her chest still rising and falling quickly from the passion they’d been building up.

“Let me take a look at it.” Tony insisted, starting to tug at the gauze and resulting in another pained sound from Scarlett.

“No.” Scarlett grabbed at Tony’s wrist and pulled it away from her thigh with some force, much to his surprise.

“We should really…” Tony drifted off when he saw Scarlett moving his hand and urging it to her chest. Who was he to argue? If this was what she wanted and she was sure she was okay, then he would be doing her a disservice not to give into her wishes. 

“It’s fine.” Scarlett reassured him, her body shivering with the chills once again. His hands were scraped up and rough from battle and years of working on weapons and creating other technological advances. She wasn’t sure which part of that made them alluring, but whatever it was seemed to be working.

“You’re sure?” Tony muttered almost incoherently against her lips between kisses, while he brushed his fingers over the flesh of her chest available to him above the corset, his rough skin catching on bits of the chiffon.

“Would you stop talking?” Scarlett laughed, grabbing him by his chin and urging his lips to hers again, groaning softly from his touches on her chest.

“No.” Tony smirked between kisses, though he pulled away from her lips only a moment later. Glancing down at her legs, Tony grabbed her backside carefully which resulted in a rather sarcastic look from Scarlett. “What?” Standing up, Tony made sure she wrapped her legs around his waist and then started out of the living room. If he was going to do this, then he was going to make sure there was _no_ chance of the two being interrupted.

“I guess I’ll have to keep shutting you up then.” Scarlett took the opportunity to slip her arms around his shoulders, being careful of the wound she’d just stitched up. She then took to kissing over his neck. Tony faltered on the stairs when she did so and quickly grabbed onto the railing so he wouldn’t fall. It was lucky Scarlett had a good grip on him with her legs otherwise he might not have kept his grip _or_ the romantic tension they’d worked up to on the couch.

Smirking against his neck, Scarlett bit at his skin again and then whispered again in a low and sensual voice. “Distracted are we?” Tony chuckled in response to this and then urged his hands back onto her butt and gave her a playful squeeze.

“I think you know the answer to that question.” Tony cleared his throat in an attempt not to sound so haggard but it was no use. Scarlett most certainly wasn’t arguing the change. Returning to his neck, Scarlett brushed her lips over his skin, beneath his chin to where the scruff of his goatee started and did her best to send his senses into overdrive. Her fingers touched over his bare back, tracing over the muscles that were flexing and being used to carry her up the stairs. If she was trying to break Tony’s concentration, she was doing a great job.

Jarvis opened the door to the master bedroom so Tony didn’t have to worry about it, which was pretty lucky considering Tony was starting to lose his patience. He couldn’t do much touching and taunting in this particular position. Scarlett kissed down his neck and over his collar bone. She wasn’t afraid to touch his reactor, which had been one of his bigger concerns. In fact, he found her tracing the triangular pattern which startled him further. What really made him stumble was when her fingers moved over his stomach, and further down to the lining of his dress pants.

She was fiddling with his belt now which was more than enough to signal to Tony’s mind that he needed to jump into action. He’d nearly made it to his destination but had to stop. Pushing Scarlett against the wall near his bed he had clearly surprised her since she made a soft sound when her back met the wall. Urging both hands to her wrists and pinning them against the wall, Tony realized she was holding something. This something turned out to be the belt he’d been wearing. His pants had become loose around his waist so he looked down and groaned when he realized they were unbuttoned and unzipped and hanging awkwardly around his lower half. It appeared he no longer needed the belt to keep them in place.

Groaning, Tony glanced back at Scarlett, his hands still on her wrists to pin her there. She wiggled the belt between her fingers then let it drop from her grip onto the floor with a clunk as the buckle hit the floor. There was a playful and dangerous smirk on her face and lust thick in her blue eyes. Ever since they’d met, Tony had struggled to get inside of her head but at the time being he was having no trouble at all seeing what was on her mind.

Releasing one of her hands, Tony maneuvered his pants off and let them eventually fall around his ankles before kicking them aside. He’d long ago discarded his socks and shoes so they weren’t a concern. When he felt Scarlett’s hand on his neck again he grabbed her wrist and pinned her back to the wall. She laughed under her breath and tried to pull her wrists away from his grasp but he held her fast and started to kiss at her chest.

Arching her back into his kisses, Scarlett closed her eyes and savored in the touch of his lips on her sensitive skin and the way his scruff was brushing against her and giving her the chills over and over. It was an entirely new sensation for her and incredibly sexy, or at least she’d say so. Tony’s teeth bit at the material of her corset and tugged it down past the lining of her strapless bra but couldn’t do much more than that because of her sleeves and the constriction of the boning of her corset. Growling playfully as he twisted back and forth to try and gain more leverage with the dress, Tony pulled away and instead started to kiss between her breasts and caress the flesh available to him.

Twisting her wrists harder in an attempt to escape his grasp, Scarlett couldn’t help but exhale soft moans and coos of pleasure and excitement thanks to Tony’s taunting. Frustrated that he couldn’t get more without going after her dress, Tony freed one of her wrists and urged his hand behind her still arched back. Scarlett immediately grabbed for the first thing she could think of which was Tony’s hair. He winced and pouted up at her upon realizing how sore his head was thanks to how he’d been tossed around like a rag doll during battle. Scarlett released her grip, but only by a little and tugged his lips back to hers.

While he was still the dominant one in that particular position, Scarlett took command with her lips and momentarily disarmed him. He let the slack go on her other wrist and she wrapped the other arm around his shoulder, pulling his body closer against hers, so he was pressed against her and pushing her harder against the wall. Tightening her grip on him with her legs, Scarlett felt her wound throb but didn’t relent. Wrapped up momentarily in the kiss, Tony kept his hand against the wall and had nearly forgotten what he’d been doing with the one that had managed its way to her back. Then he felt the top of the zipper brush against his hands and through the thickness of adrenaline and hormones that were raging through his mind, he remembered that he was standing in front of her nearly naked when she was practically fully clothed.

Grabbing onto the zipper, Tony pressed his hips firmly against hers before tugging on it. After getting it halfway down, he groaned in frustration when the zipper snapped and popped off of the dress. 

“Something wrong?” Scarlett leaned close to his ear and let her lips brush against the outline of it before letting her tongue caress just beneath it, purposely groaning against his skin. Tony moaned low and deep before turning to look at her.

“Not for long.” Tony reached behind her with both of his now free hands and tugged at where the zipper had broken, finally getting the mechanism to pull free. Now loose around her, Tony fought with Scarlett to maneuver her sleeves off of her. Most of the fighting was a mixture of caressing and giggling, but eventually Tony managed to grab her wrist again and tug on strap after the other down her arms, at least enough to awkwardly pin her arms in place at her sides. “I’m just going to leave you like that…” Tony smirked and glanced down at the bra that he’d forced out of place with all of his pushing and let his lips find her breasts again, biting and kissing over the skin that he found there.

“Oh, come on.” Scarlett was both amused and displeased that she was left to awkwardly sit how he’d left her. Wiggling now against the wall to try and free her arms, she was starting to mess up Tony’s footing. Finally she decided it was the only way to get free, so finally she dropped her legs and got her feet on the floor which threw Tony off. He stumbled and tripped over the belt they’d dropped and fell backwards onto his bed.

Leaning up in surprise, Tony half expected her to make some remark about how she had been merely teasing him and was going to leave him to finish up what he’d started but instead she was stripping her dress off the rest of the way. Mouth hanging open, Tony watched as it slipped around her curves and onto the floor. Though she was scraped up and bruised and the gauze around her leg was bloodied, he felt his body react to the visual stimulation at hand. He was relieved, to say the least, that he was no longer wearing any pants.

“Isn’t this what you’ve been waiting for?” Scarlett pushed her hair out of her face and then walked over to where Tony was half lying on the bed. Leaning over and hooking her index finger underneath his chin she urged him to sit up with just her touch and got close enough to kiss him before pulling her lips away from his. Now sitting up and staring at her, dumbfounded by how she’d taken control, Tony wasn’t sure how to respond. While his instincts were telling him to just hop up, grab her and ravish her, he seemed to have momentarily been completely stunned.

Scarlett took this moment of weakness to push Tony backwards onto his bed and climb over him. She straddled his hips and grabbed his wrists, in a mock attempt to pin him down as he’d done to her against the wall. While she’d put up a good fight, her limbs were still tired and aching and it was very likely that if he tried very hard to get free of her grasp, she wouldn’t put up much of a struggle.

Resting her hips against his, Scarlett could feel just what their foreplay had been leading up to. While she’d had a preview of it on the couch when Tony had forced her into his lap, this was far more revealing considering there was very little left between them and the act that they had both clearly wanted for much longer than Scarlett was willing to admit. Kissing down his chest, Scarlett planned on getting her revenge on him for having pinned her in place.

She stopped when her lips got closer to the arc reactor, realizing that it seemed to be glowing much brighter and was actually the only light in the room since Jarvis had neglected to turn on the lights for them. Distracted, Scarlett brushed her fingers over the reactor, letting her lips linger against his collar bone while she examined it. The metal frame of it was hot and she wondered if it was causing him discomfort or if it was a regular occurrence with the reactor. Nipping at his skin, Scarlett felt him starting to struggle so she rocked her hips softly against his. Tony groaned low and squirmed beneath her in hopes she would continue with the grinding motion against him. Scarlett’s body had responded in a way she hadn’t quite expected. Her legs had actually tensed and resisted, but not because she was nervous; it was her body’s natural reaction to recoil from such a feeling.

Tony took this moment of curiosity and sudden apprehension to his advantage, twisted his wrists free and pushed her up into his lap as he sat up. Grabbing onto her wrists he pushed her down onto the bed but felt her legs latch around his waist. With a grunt on her part, Scarlett forced his hips down against hers, making Tony’s knees slip against his silk sheets. Smirking as she kissed him, Scarlett wrapped her arms around his shoulders again and pulled his chest close against hers. The hot arc reactor brushed against her skin but she didn’t recoil. It felt odd for a second but it was a part of him, and she didn’t much mind that it was there. Somehow, Tony had forgotten all about it which was a rare occurrence. He did realize it had started to heat up but assumed that if there were any functionality problems with it, Jarvis would be interrupting their foreplay.

Completely locked together on the bed, Tony reached beneath Scarlett in an attempt to find the clasps of her bra but she was resisting and trying to keep his hand from being able to push beneath her that far. Instead he rocked his hips against hers again, letting his body slip into a more natural position between her legs so he could feel her quiver just as she had when she’d been sitting on top of him.

“Oh…” Scarlett gasped in surprised and curled her toes against the comforter on the bed. She hadn’t expected each little motion to become so stimulating. Romantic flings in the past had never had quite this effect on her and she had to admit it was throwing her off. There was no way that Tony was just _that_ good. Or maybe he was. Scarlett couldn’t tell what was in her head and what wasn’t. She’d been trying not to take into account the hype that had been built up around him, thinking there was no possible way he could live up to it, but so far Tony had done an excellent job handling his reputation.

Tony managed to get her grip on him to loosen and started to kiss back down her chest and over the red mark that had been left on her skin thanks to his reactor. He didn’t notice it was there at first but as his lips bit and toyed with her skin, he realized it had become raised thanks to the contact with it. Deciding not to draw any further attention to it, Tony continued to kiss down her stomach, his tongue dipping into her navel before kissing further down to the line of her panties.

Hands shaking in anticipation, Scarlett found herself grasping at the comforter. She was never comfortable with giving up control in these situations, she found it made her vulnerable and frightened her. It had always been to a point where sex had been a means to an end for her but something felt different now with Tony. Thankfully there wasn’t enough sense in her head at the moment thanks to the lust and attraction that had taken the reins.

Wrapping her arms around Tony’s torso, Scarlett tightened her grip on him and then with her remaining strength rolled him over onto his back. He yelped in surprise, clearly not having expected this turn of events. Scarlett sat up on top of him, her knees on either side of him. Tony leaned up and bit playfully at her thigh. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to give up dominance without a fight.

Crying out in astonishment, Scarlett felt her thighs quiver and tried to maneuver away. Tony grabbed onto her hips and hooked his fingers on either side of her panties before trying to tug them down and off. Scarlett grabbed his wrists and twisted them away before pinning them down on the bed. That only lasted for a second before Tony had freed his wrists and was grabbing at her butt again. This time he pushed her back onto the bed with some force and crawled over her. Pushing her hair out of her face, Scarlett barely had the time to free her hand from her hair before she felt his lips against hers.

Pushing her hand into his short hair, she ran her fingers through it, feeling the sweat that had started to build up on his skin from their game. They were both out of breath and hadn’t even begun to truly get going. Not willing to waste anymore time, Tony reached for the sides of her panties again and started to tug them down.

Scarlett pulled one hand away and urged it back to her chest which was embraced initially and met with a playful squeeze of her breast until he realized she was trying to distract him from his immediate goal. The matter had become rather urgent for him and while he didn’t want to deny any part of her the touch of his hands, he knew what he needed for the time being.

Tony’s lips moved frantically against Scarlett’s and his scruff teased her upper lip and occasionally her cheek when their kisses became too sloppy and heated for either one of them to keep up. The brush of his scruff consistently gave her the shivers and goose bumps which frustrated her to no end, considering her initial reaction to his goatee. She wondered why it had become suddenly such a huge turn on to feel it against her skin.

Groaning with the feel of him against her thigh through his boxers she finally lost the battle for her panties when the side of them ripped from their pulling and tugging back and forth. Scarlett couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that they’d actually broken two of her articles of clothing in their foreplay. Pulling them away from her hips, Tony tangled them on his index finger and held them up triumphantly.

“What can I say?” Scarlett whispered between heavy breaths, biting her lip in anticipation. There was no hesitation for her anymore, no doubt, just excitement and nerves about doing something with the man who had caused her so much conflict over the last few days.

“How about… you win, Tony?” Smirking from ear to ear, Tony leaned up on his hands and knees and quickly discarded his boxers, kicking them to the side and off of the bed. He then tossed her panties away as well and leaned over her. He waited for her to take the opportunity to try and take back control but she didn’t and instead just stared up at him.

“Fat chance.” Scarlett laughed after a moment and shook her head from side to side before curiosity got the better of her and she glanced down at where he hovered over her. She didn’t say a thing in response but instead bit her lip in a smile. Tony didn’t fish for compliments. He figured that would be asking for far too much from the stubborn woman beneath him. The look on her face was all that he needed to know that he was getting exactly the response he desired from her.

Leaning his body flat against hers again, arms on either side of her, Tony found her lips and settled his hips between hers, feeling her body hot and excited for him. Kissing her deeply and surprisingly intimately, Scarlett found her nerves melting away thanks to the distraction his lips provided.

When he slipped within her with a deep groan against her lips he was forced to pull away. Scarlett was crying out for him before she’d realized it was something she’d done. Her hands were on the backs of his shoulders and she was gripping at him tightly. Tony groaned, readjusted his legs and then urged his hips to start moving against hers.

Scarlett leaned her head back on the bed and gasped, nails digging into the back of Tony’s shoulder. The tension they built up was near immediate and better than anything she could describe. Maybe it was because of the sparks that had flown from the moment they met or maybe it was something more, Scarlett couldn’t tell but either way her walls had practically crashed around her.

Watching the faces she made beneath him was exhilarating but hearing the sounds that came with those faces was even better. Tony urged his hips to go faster to further increase the tension between them. Kissing over her neck, Tony started to move toward her bra in hopes of getting it off while things built up.

“Tony!” Scarlett arched her back and gripped him tighter as his pace increased. Everything came to a halt with that simple word. Tony snapped his head up and looked at her in surprise. She’d resisted so entirely to calling him by his first name that now that she was saying it, and in such an intimate moment, he was completely floored.

Face red from a mixture of embarrassment and passion, Scarlett took Tony’s faltering moment to her advantage, leaned up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, then rolled him over onto his back, being careful not to hurt anything fragile in the process. Tony grunted and leaned his back on the bed, finding that he was near his pillows at long last. Out of breath and staring up at her, Tony watched as Scarlett sat on top of him, resting her hands on his abdomen and started to move on top of him to regain some of her control.

Tony grabbed her hips and bucked his own into her, a smirk on his face while his mouth hung open. Again Scarlett cried out, the end of it sounding almost like a whimper but she had managed to resist saying his name again. If it was the last thing he did, Tony would get to hear it from her lips again and he would make it a point to never forget the sound.

Arching her back and letting her lips hang open as she rocked her hips and kept herself moving on top of him, Scarlett finally let her eyes slip closed. Gasping and moaning as she moved, Tony was bewitched by the way that her body shifted over him. Sitting up momentarily, Tony reached behind her and artfully unclasped her bra in one fluid motion. It was something he’d grown to be incredibly gifted at over time, considering how often he’d done it in the past. Tossing the strapless piece aside, he wasn’t surprised when Scarlett initially covered herself and stopped her motions.

Tony grabbed her wrists and pulled them away from her chest and then urged her back onto the bed again, laying her near the headboard but being careful of how close they were so he wouldn’t have her hit her head considering what he planned to continue doing. Keeping her arms pinned as he started up their fluid motions again he watched her body rock beneath him on the bed, bouncing more with each push into her. The tension was starting to become unbearable for her. Scarlett writhed and her body ached with each continuing motion.

Tony let go of her wrists once he was sure she wasn’t going to cover up her breasts again then reached down to give them the attention they so deserved. They’d been far too tempting to resist. His fingers caressed over the soft skin, taking note of the pronounced burn that had shown up on her chest thanks to his reactor and the contact it had made with her skin for such a long moment. Leaning down to her chest he let his lips brush over her skin, his tongue picking up the beads of sweat that had been built up from their lovemaking. Scarlett started to curse under her breath, urging her hand into his hair but not to stop him from what he was doing, but to find more contact with his body. In her current state there was little left she could do to take control. Each push resulted in a soft sound from her lips and clear resistance of trying to cry out to him. Tony groaned low to see such a result.

Touching over her breasts until his body started to demand he focus on other things, Tony brushed his palms up over her chest, amazed at how excited he’d managed to make her. Reaching up to grab his headboard for support, Tony pushed slower but deeper into the woman beneath him, hoping to get her to that difficult end of the road and allow her to experience the bliss he knew was coming.

Scarlett tried to find a way to move, a way to participate but at this point her body was screaming for her to let go. If she could just release the tension that had been built up and not over think it then she would be fine. Then Tony moved away from her breasts, which were both sore and tender from his touches and started to push in a different way entirely. It had been more than enough to send her over the edge.

“Tony!” Crying out as she hit her end, Scarlett felt her pleasure pulse through her like lightning. Her hips twitched in an uncontrollable motion and her toes tingled as her orgasm spread through her and filled her with warmth. It was like seeing stars. Wave after wave of intense pleasure crashed through her. Crying out again, Scarlett wrapped her arms back around Tony and pulled him closer. He lost his grip on the headboard but didn’t care. “Tony…” She was kissing him sloppily between her pleasured moans, her hair stuck to her face and neck from the sweat of what they’d done together and whispering his name between those kisses.

Wanting to give her as much pleasure as he could, Tony resisted giving into his own urges for as long as possible. Scarlett couldn’t keep up her breathing while kissing him any longer, not when the pleasure was so overwhelming. Bringing a hand up to her hair she gripped it and leaned her head to the side, gasping for breath as she did her best to move her hips with Tony for as long as she could manage.

Feeling rather satisfied with himself for his accomplishment, Tony nibbled down the side of Scarlett’s neck, gripped at her hip and then finally let go of the pleasure and tension he’d built up within his body. Hips aching and body sore from the combined effort of fighting against the robots and making love to Scarlett, Tony concentrated on riding out the pleasure that shot through his body and up his spine. Growling playfully he tilted her head to the side so he could kiss her again. He’d started speaking before he’d realized it.

“Scarlett…” He muttered against her lips, her name flowing naturally in the heat of passion and pleasure. Blinded by the pleasure of their actions, Tony continued to kiss Scarlett despite how his lungs objected and begged for air. Nothing mattered except for the pleasure of his orgasm and the taste of her lips on his. When he’d finally let go, Scarlett had cried out in surprise, her grip on her hair tightening while the other hand pulled on the comforter below. It had been just as stimulating a sensation for her as it had been for him. 

The peak of their lovemaking was nearing its end and soon enough they’d be finished. Slowing his hips down drastically when he realized Scarlett seemed to have given up on moving her hips from exhaustion, Tony couldn’t help but smirk against her lips. He could see hers had become swollen from the effort of kissing and playing and he took pleasure in that. Once he’d come to a stop he placed both hands on either side of her and smoothed her sweaty hair away from her face.

Biting her lip in a satisfied smile, Scarlett could feel the intense pleasure finally fading from her system. How long had it been since she’d felt something quite like that? She could barely recall. Tony could feel Scarlett curling her toes beneath him and brought his hand down to caress the side of her thigh, careful not to touch her bad leg this time. Burying his face against the crook of her neck, Tony nuzzled his nose against her skin before pulling his hips away. It felt odd being removed from her but he tried not to dwell too much on the empty sensation it left him with.

Scarlett stretched her legs and wiped the sweat off of her face, before choosing to look back at Tony who was readjusting on the bed. He’d climbed off of her and started reaching for sheets tiredly. Clearly he was worn out from the way that the day had gone. Between that and the alcohol, Scarlett couldn’t exactly blame him. Once he’d covered them with sheets he’d rested close to her on the bed, an arm lazily draped over her stomach.

“So…” Tony whispered, his eyes half lidded as he tried to stay awake. Usually after he’d gotten what he wanted from a woman he’d wait for them to fall asleep and then head for the hills. But this time was different. It wasn’t that he wanted to cuddle, but rather that he wanted to fall asleep next to her. Was that the same thing? Tony had no real idea. It had never occurred to him in the past.

“So?” Scarlett leaned her head to the side to look over at the man who had just made her feel the most fantastic of sensations.

“That’s what I have to do to get you to call me Tony, huh?” His voice was deep, slow and obviously filled with fatigue. Scarlett couldn’t help but laugh but had no real answer for him in the span of things. Instead she just chuckled until it faded and leaned to kiss his chin. Before she could tell him to get some sleep, Tony had fallen asleep next to her, his arm still lazily on top of her. Scarlett closed her eyes and turned her head back toward the ceiling.

What was she going to do now that she had actually gone through with her plan to seduce Tony? And had it really been a seduction as much as it had been both of them giving into the desire they’d had since they’d first met?

But now that Tony was falling asleep what would she do? Maybe she could just wake up the next day and ask him about what his involvement was with MedCo. She knew what he claimed his story was but she still couldn’t shake that there was more to it than just some misplaced memos from Stark Industries. Someone at Stark Industries had contacted MedCo to do work with them; she knew it in her gut. If that person wasn’t Tony then she was sure it was someone important who worked for him. Could it even be Pepper? Or Happy? Scarlett hated to think that the people who had gone above and beyond to keep her out of harm’s way could be working against her. It would make sense as to how MedCo was so easily able to locate her, if nothing else.

Sighing heavily Scarlett glanced back at Tony whose mouth was hanging open while he slept. Stifling a laugh, but unable to hide her smile, Scarlett carefully readjusted the sheets over Tony’s body so he wasn’t lying with his ass exposed to the world.

She’d expected her conflicted feelings to get in the way of being able to get into bed with Tony but instead it’d been far easier than she’d anticipated. When it had been happening she’d known exactly what she’d wanted and had taken it. But had it really been the best decision for her to make? How many times had Scarlett sacrificed her own wants and, often, her needs for the good of her mission? Now here she was making reckless decisions with a man who could still possibly be her enemy. Tony had started to snore next to her, clearly having fallen into an intensely deep sleep. Slowly she moved his arm off of her stomach and laid it next to him in a more comfortable position.

Carefully sitting up, Scarlett held the sheets up to keep her body covered and placed her free hand to her forehead. Her thigh was stinging and her body objected overall to moving. The soreness from her fight earlier in the evening was settling in. Her hips were still tingling with the remaining feelings of her orgasm. She’d never had a hard time moving after sex before, at least not for years. 

Glancing back at Tony, she knew that either way she would have to find out the truth. Asking him would leave her forever with the unsettling question of whether or not he was being honest with her or covering his ass. Then again, if she betrayed his trust like this and did what she planned to do he may never forgive her.

Selfishly, Scarlett wanted to simply lie back down next to Tony, slip beneath his arms and fall asleep. She was half afraid if she did that she’d wake up to be treated like any other one night stand. Then again, perhaps that would’ve been easier than anything else. She was sure this was relatively uncharted waters for Tony as well. Something told her that if she stayed in bed with Tony, she’d wake up to find him still next to her despite her fears.

That would mean she’d given up on Scott and revenge and had given into her more selfish needs. Would she spend her whole life destroying those around her? If things were ever going to be more than they were with Tony, which for whatever reason was what she wanted, then she needed to find out the truth on her own. And if Tony wasn’t behind what was done to her and Scott then she’d find out who had been responsible.

MedCo wasn’t going to win and that had to be more important than the blossoming romance with Tony Stark. Deciding that thinking was the worst thing she could continue to do, Scarlett got up from her place on the bed and walked slowly around to collect her clothes from the floor. On the nightstand lay a half opened laptop, clearly leftover from some sort of work that Tony had been doing. Slipping on the remains of her tattered dress just to be covered up, Scarlett winced when she felt the cloth of the corset rub against the raw spot on her chest. Rubbing at the sore spot, Scarlett decided to address it later.

Snatching the laptop from his desk, Scarlett brought it with her back to her room. She had a very long night ahead of her.


	27. Hack Job

Wasting no time after she’d left Tony’s side in his bedroom, Scarlett hurried out of his room and down the hallway in the darkness. She found she was in luck with what she’d found on the laptop she’d swiped from his nightstand. Every program was still logged in with his master password and accessible to anyone who got their hands on it. 

Guilt ached in the pit of her stomach once again, making her feel sick. She simply hoped that Tony would understand why she had to do what she was about to do in the long term situation. She would never be able to _fully_ accept him into any part of her life if she didn’t know the truth about his motives and sometimes getting to the truth meant she had to get her hands a _little_ dirty.

Sensing that if she didn’t act quickly, the above average home security would kick in soon enough and wake Tony as well as alert authorities, Scarlett tapped away at the keyboard in front of her once she’d situated herself on the bed of her temporary room. Her guess was that she had a very short window to disable to Jarvis computer if it hadn’t already started taking steps to lock her out. Thankfully after playing around in the mainframe downstairs in order to assist the Iron Man weapon when it had malfunctioned on the highway a few days prior, Scarlett had a good idea of what she was up against and what she would find when she started to access Jarvis’ files.

Before the security system could become alert and aware of her motives she’d managed to find her way into mobile controls for the Jarvis computer system via the laptop. Immediately she muted his vocal functions and sighed with relief when the command wasn’t rejected. That wasn’t the only thing she needed to do before she snooped about Tony’s files, it was merely the beginning of a long laundry list of things that needed to be done. Looking around the bedroom that had provided her with nothing but terrible nightmares since her arrival, she knew some housekeeping of Tony’s systems would be required before she made a further mess out of his things.

Fingers continuing away on the keyboard, and taking a bit longer than she would’ve liked to admit given her prowess with a computer, Scarlett managed to disable the wireless networks in the house that would allow access to the outside world as well as all mobile communications that would allow others to be notified of what she was doing within the Stark mansion. Once she was sure that she wouldn’t be caught by anyone _outside_ of the house for at least a few hours, Scarlett left the laptop alone on the bed.

Digging through the closet on the far end of the room that had been stocked with new clothing that had been ordered for her thanks to Pepper and Jarvis, she found a nice pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Her leg winced at the memory of what had happened the last time she’d put jeans on so she discarded the clothing she’d considered and picked out a comfortable and casual looking summery dress. True, dresses were harder to fight in but at least she wouldn’t be convulsing on the floor somewhere if her leg had a bad reaction to the jeans. 

The fear was irrational that it would happen a second time, but there had been enough fear and vulnerability that had been caused by the jeans she’d worn in an attempt to be practical that she was willing to avoid wearing them a second time. Besides, the worst thing that could happen if she was caught in a fight would be that she would flash her panties to the world and in reality, she didn’t care all that much about such a thing.

After deciding on her clothing she did the minimum amount of first aid required on her wounds that would allow her to continue on with her plans without worrying about infection or further aches. She then got changed into the clothing she’d picked out for her excursion and did a double check on her wounds. Packing a small bag, she filled it with makeup and other necessities so she could at least make some of her bruises disappear when she went out into the world. Slipping her tangled hair back into a loose ponytail, Scarlett decided it was time to finally get to work.

Putting on a pair of heels and about to pick up the computer she’d rested on the bed, Scarlett hesitated and decided against it. Walking over to the wall of the bedroom near the doorway, she touched her palm against it. While she knew that it might be ridiculous for her to be doing what she was about to do, she couldn’t help herself. Jarvis had given her his trust on multiple occasions and she was well on her way to violating him. Even if he _was_ just a computer, she had felt there was a bond between them.

“I’m sorry for what I’m about to do to you, Jarvis. Someday you’ll understand why I’m doing it and I hope you’ll be able to forgive me.” The house security hadn’t been completely disabled yet so she hoped he could hear her, even if he couldn’t respond to her. It was absurd, of course, to feel bad about what she was doing to a computer, but at the same time she felt like that Jarvis was _far_ more than that. He’d become a friend of hers over the past few days and she felt bad having to take advantage of him in her pursuit of the truth.

She avoided thinking about Tony entirely up to that point because she knew that would lead to her downfall in her plans for the night. But every time she closed her eyes for more than just a blink, she could see the look of passion and excitement on his face, or feel his stubble gracing her chin. Getting the shivers at the idea of it, she moved away from the wall, picked up the laptop she’d stolen from Tony’s room and headed downstairs to the living room. 

Stopping there, she picked up the wires that Tony had discarded earlier in the day when he’d been working on the phone that he had planned to provide her with at a later time. She wondered if he would bother to give that to her after what she was about to do to his house. It was quite possible she was going to spend at _least_ a night in jail for breaking into his system and violating his security.

Heading down the stairs to Tony’s glorified garage after retrieving the wires, Scarlett stopped at the security door and inspected the panel. She’d seen Tony use it a number of times now but hadn’t bothered to pay attention to the code he’d punched in each time. After disabling Jarvis’ communication functions she knew there was no way the computer was going to allow her access. So instead, Scarlett plugged the wires she’d taken from upstairs into the USB ports in the laptop and then set it down gently on one of the steps.

Pulling the casing off of the sophisticated security lock, Scarlett picked the laptop back up and modified the end of the wire so she could attach the laptop to the security panel. Typing away at the keyboard, Scarlett had to force her way past the firewall on the security lock, which she hadn’t found surprising to be in existence. Tony’s Mark suits were in the room beyond this door and she was sure that the highest security would be on those things in particular and the other plans he had involving the suits and his Iron Man missions.

Thankfully, Scarlett had very little interest in any of his super hero business. After twenty minutes of furious typing and artfully working her way through Tony’s beautiful written coding, the security panel clicked, made a positive beeping sound and the door swung open in front of her. Disconnecting the wires from the laptop, Scarlett left them hanging from the security door and then walked into the now accessible garage. In a way she was proud of what she’d done. Not many could boast that they’d gotten as far as she had when hacking through any of Stark’s Technologies. 

Closing the laptop since it was no longer necessary, Scarlett walked over to the computer desk in the center of the room and sat down in the comfortable office chair. After setting down the laptop behind her, she looked at the screens that displayed Tony’s various car collections on their screen savers on the front end of the desk.

“No offense Jarvis, but I can’t have you looking at what I’m doing here.” Scarlett woke up Tony’s computer to find a password protected welcome screen, which didn’t surprise her very much. It wouldn’t take her long to bypass the computer security and access the Jarvis controls which she found were based within the garage computer and backed up in a high security area offsite. It wouldn’t matter that there was a backup anywhere since she’d cut off communication to anywhere outside of the house. Scarlett wasn’t aiming to _hurt_ Jarvis’ programming or destroy his systems. She merely wanted to flip the off switch for a few hours so she could get the information she needed without being spied on.

It took her nearly an hour, but Scarlett managed to disable the Jarvis system entirely after only having to restart two or three times. The whole house seemed somehow less inviting with it turned off. The concrete walls and white sterile décor of Tony’s extremely post modern home seemed more corporate like without the warming presence of the often snarky home computer that acted as his butler.

Getting the chills at the thought, Scarlett spun around in the office chair, rather pleased with her technological accomplishments for the night. While she was exhausted, she would have to forego any plans to rest for the time being, despite how her body and her wounds sorely needed it. After years of having been practically a spy, Scarlett could handle a night without sleep easier than she liked to admit. And after many a restless night spent in captivity with MedCo, she’d actually been struggling to sleep for more than an hour or two without having terrible nightmares anyway. Ever since she’d escaped, sleep had no longer been a refuge, but a place where her subconscious tortured her almost as terribly as those who had _actually_ tortured her.

Scarlett doubted that what she was doing was going to help the demons in her head find some peace, but it needed to be done regardless. Cracking her knuckles to give her fingers a little reprieve, Scarlett started searching around Tony’s desk for something that she could use to download the information she required onto. She could, of course, simply search through the information _now_ and find what she was looking for but it wasn’t as simple as that. She wasn’t sure how much time she would actually have to search through files before she was discovered in the garage. So instead, Scarlett would find somewhere to backup Tony’s files and then access them later on a private device so she should take her time finding what she needed.

In a bottom drawer of the desk, she found a handful of mobile memory devices including external hard drives and memory sticks. It looked like Tony had a stash of them lying around just in case they were needed for meetings in other places, or in last minute situations. Picking up one of the higher capacity memory sticks, Scarlett plugged it into the computer and opened the drive to see if there was anything important she’d be erasing.

She didn’t want to screw Tony in the long run by destroying something that was important to him, she simply wanted to know the truth. Stealing and manipulating was the only way she knew how to get it. 

On the pen drive she found some files from three years prior that looked like they were simply excel spreadsheets he would bring with him to use during a business presentation. Just in case he still needed them, Scarlett copied them into a folder hidden deep within the computer’s database. If he ever needed them, Jarvis’ search would likely be capable of finding them without any trouble. She changed the date of the computer for file creation and then set it back to normal so that when Jarvis rebooted it would look like nothing had actually been altered at that time. It was clear that this wasn’t Scarlett’s first rodeo.

Scarlett then reformatted the pen drive so she would be able to use it without any of the information that had once been on it and just in case there were any tracking systems on it. The last thing she wanted would be to plug it into another machine and for it to report to Tony’s computers where it’d been used. Searching through Tony’s files for what she deemed would be important, she copied the private files and corporate files onto the drive. 

This process took much longer than she had hoped it would. Scarlett nearly fell asleep while waiting for the files to copy over from the hard drive. The process had only needed her attention a heedful of times to get through the various security access points that would grant her the ability to download his more important corporate files. She was guessing that anything she was hunting for would be hidden within corporate files and not personal ones. The only reason she was bothering with personal files was to see if he knew more about MedCo than he was letting on.

If Tony had _any_ communication with MedCo in the last few years, it would be in those files. She even copied his browser history so she could make sure that nothing had been done on a server. While she was doing that, she couldn’t help but think of the various disturbing things that might be within Tony’s browser history, but even weeding through a sea of pornography websites would be worth it if it got her one step closer to finding out the truth.

Once she was sure that she’d copied every bit of important information, Scarlett removed the pen drive and slipped it into her bra, hidden away since she didn’t have pockets on this particular dress she’d chosen to wear. As far as she was concerned, that was the only downfall to dresses; the lack of pockets. She had that bag filled with makeup and other necessities as well, but she wanted to keep the pen drive close to her at all times, just in case. 

Leaning back in the chair once again Scarlett knew there was no way to hide turning off Jarvis or having violated Tony’s system as much as she wished she could keep what she’d done hidden. Tony’s systems were too sophisticated and the artificial intelligence within Jarvis would more than likely remember everything she’d done up until the moment she’d completely disabled him.

She allowed the guilt to eat away at her stomach for the hundredth time that night. Tony had _just_ started to trust her. He’d gone out of his way to take care of her from the moment of her arrival and comfort her when she had been in pain and what had she done in return? She’d violated his trust, been reckless with her health, and now she was breaking into his computers and stealing his important documents.

Maybe he’d see it as her playing him at his own game and proving her dominance in their relationship if she was lucky. She was sure he hadn’t taken her seriously as an engineer so if nothing else he’d know what she was capable of now. Tony Stark’s home had been rumored to be one of the most sophisticated security systems in the world and she’d blown through it in a handful of hours. Then of course there was the simple fact that Scarlett had essentially gotten Tony drunk and used him for sex. Even though that wasn’t truly the case, she had to keep reminding herself that it had to be all there was to it. She’d beaten him at his own game and used him before he could use her.

How many times had he done that to women in the past? How many women had woken up ashamed of themselves and alone in his bed because he had gotten what he wanted from them and no longer required their services after one too many drinks? Surely, he deserved a taste of his own medicine every once in awhile.

If that was the case then why was she feeling so guilty? Tapping at the computer again, Scarlett opened the garage door and remotely started one of the cars. She decided that the Aston Martin she’d drooled over earlier in the week would be sufficient for what she planned on doing. Her chest stung and while she was willing to write off the pain to the fact that she hadn’t properly cleaned any wounds and was now sleep deprived, somehow she knew in her gut it was for completely different reasons.

Once she’d gotten the access to her joy ride she hesitated and simply stared at the car that was waiting for her to get into it. It was a beautiful car, one of the most beautiful she’d ever seen in her life. Tony had a car collection that was so similar to her interests it was hard to believe. Even then, Scarlett had a hard time convincing herself it was time to get out of her chair and move onto the next phase of her search for the truth. 

She didn’t _want_ to leave even though she knew it’d be temporary. She wanted to go back upstairs and crawl into bed with Tony. More than anything she wanted to wake him up and apologize for everything she’d done, the lies she’d told, and simply confess the truth and clear her conscience for once in her life. She wanted to tell him about Scott and how he’d been her lover in a way, she wanted to tell him about the events that had led up to her being taken by MedCo in the first place. More than anything she wanted to come clean.

But what she _wanted_ would have to wait. What she wanted _always_ had to wait. In the bigger picture, Scarlett knew what _she_ wanted rarely mattered at all. That had been the biggest theme in her life, even in her youth. The greater good, the bigger cause was what mattered and her petty needs and wants had no business getting in the way of it. She’d already caused enough trouble simply developing feelings for Tony, however screwed up they were. Was it awful that for once, she wanted something simply _because_ she wanted it and not for mission or cause? Now was not the time for this crisis of identity.

Not only that but she was more than positive that what she’d done was going to hurt Tony. Then again, what if he _had_ wanted to use her? Hadn’t he been trying to get her naked since the moment she woke up in his garage? His reputation was being the ultimate ladies man. It was possible he had been using her the whole time and was a talented enough actor that he’d duped her. Maybe he’d be more than happy to get rid of her after this and to have to spare her the awkward morning after. She would simply be giving him an excuse to throw her out instead of waiting for one that he’d come up with. At least this way, things would end on her terms and without further humiliation.

Still resisting leaving, Scarlett sat for a good forty minutes, just staring at the car until it turned off automatically from having been idle for too long. Prompted to finally make a move thanks to the car, she turned the engine back on, found the keys for it in a drawer nearby and then turned back to the computer.

There was one last thing she would have to do to put her mark on the house she was about to leave. Leaning over the computer, she started to type again reluctantly. She would have to go in and delete any of the actions that had been completed since she touched the computer. After that she made a point to disable every electronic device in the Stark house, including other cars and every computer. She created a simple security lock on them, devised from Tony’s home security settings so it would delay the owner of the house for just a few more moments when he realized what was afoot. Then she shut down the computer and unplugged every wire that was attached to the back of it.

Once the deed had been done, the house seemed eerily quiet and almost abandoned. It was astounding how much Tony Stark relied on technology to get him by. The sun was rising on the horizon, filling the garage door opening with orange glow of impending daylight. Scarlett knew that Pepper would be arriving at any moment to check on them and she would have to get out of there if she were to complete the final part of her plan.

Scarlett would need a device that she could customize and make her own. She would stop at an electronics store and buy herself a laptop that she could shield against Tony’s computer systems so she could go through the files she’d just taken the time to steal undetected. Of course, she was sure that eventually Tony would figure out what she had done and why, but as long as she could delay that for a period of time she’d be in the clear.

Depending on what she found, Scarlett wouldn’t mind _telling_ Tony what she was looking for. That was, of course, if Tony didn’t freak out after finding out she’d broken past his security and into his personal files and then consequently send her to jail for the night or perhaps longer. If that was the case then she would very likely have to start getting her affairs back in order and make a break for it. It wasn’t what she _wanted_ to do, but she’d come to realize over the days past that what she wanted in life didn’t truly matter unless she was _really_ drunk and had a moment of weakness like she had the night before with Tony. He had already trusted her, sleeping with him had been unnecessary. Shaking the thought from her head, she once more reaffirmed internally that she’d done what she’d had to do.

Torn once again with what was morally correct, Scarlett placed her elbows on the computer desk and held her head in her hands. Her body was sore and aching, she was exhausted, hungry, and she was sure at least a little hung over. Why couldn’t she just turn everything back on, head back upstairs and apologize for what she’d tried to do?

She knew exactly why she couldn’t and her argument had finally become circular enough to get her up from her chair. What happened to the cold woman who had been able to turn her emotions off entirely while she got a job done? Had something broken in her head so severely while she’d been in Afghanistan that she couldn’t even complete a simple data retrieval job like the one she’d committed to in order to get revenge on MedCo?

“Hello?” An unfamiliar female voice echoed through the garage. Scarlett immediately turned to be on her guard. It wasn’t Pepper, so she hadn’t been caught but still a visitor hadn’t quite been on Scarlett’s agenda for the morning. Had she wasted that much time lost in thought that it was a late enough hour for _guests_ to be arriving at the Stark mansion?

Getting up and walking toward the car at the end of the garage, she saw the silhouette of a rather exhausted looking woman in a business suit, holding a clipboard and a stack of files under her arm standing in the entryway of the garage.

“I tried to ring the doorbell upstairs at the front door but no one answered. I rang it quite a few times too…” Her voice was hesitant like she was afraid of interrupting what Scarlett was doing. Scarlett approached the woman whose brown hair was loosely pulled back into a ponytail, her bangs just above her brows. She was obviously from some kind of important agency or corporation, and if she was there for Scarlett she was sure her gun would’ve been drawn already. In fact, the young woman didn’t look armed at all so Scarlett’s nerves lessened.

“Sorry about that, I must not have heard it.” Scarlett was careful with her words. It was dangerous to reveal to strangers too much about her. The less other people knew, the better. “What are you doing here?”

Clearly the guest thought this was a peculiar way to phrase her question but then nodded her head and held out the files in her hand.

“I’m looking for Tony Stark.”

“He’s still asleep, but you can wait upstairs in the living room for him if you like.” Scarlett walked back toward the car then stopped. She shouldn’t let a stranger into Tony’s house, just in case the woman had nefarious motives. The last thing she wanted to do was to be responsible for Tony being caught off guard without his house to protect him from intruders. “Who did you say you were?”

“I didn’t say actually.” The woman walked into the garage and looked around in amazement. She looked as exhausted as Scarlett felt. It seemed she wasn’t the only one who had been having an incredibly long night.

“Well, who are you and what do you need from Tony?” Scarlett glanced out of the garage, hoping the woman wasn’t blocking her exit only to remember the ridiculous size of Tony’s driveway and feel silly for having thought it was a possibility.

“I’m Special Agent Mickey Pierce with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division or S.H.I.E.L.D.” The woman smiled pleasantly and held a hand out for Scarlett to shake. Staring down at the woman’s hand skeptically Scarlett didn’t make a move to return the gesture. Agent Pierce eventually pulled her hand back and wiped it nervously on her skirt. She’d been told that getting to see Tony had never been an _easy_ feat since he sent agents packing before they got close to his front door, but she’d never expected it to be so incredibly uncomfortable and awkward.

“No offense but that sounds made up.” Scarlett cocked a curious eyebrow. She didn’t have time to screw around with some special agent whatever. If Tony woke up before she left, it would throw off her entire plan and force her into a conversation she clearly wasn’t emotionally equipped to have before coffee.

“None taken, we get that a lot.” Agent Pierce smiled, trying to keep her mood pleasant despite how abrasive the woman she’d met was being.

“Can I see your badge? Or some kind of identification proving who you are?” Scarlett felt like she’d heard of S.H.I.E.L.D. before having met this woman and couldn’t place the reason why. But for whatever reason, she had good memories of it so she wasn’t nearly as worried as she should’ve been.

“Yeah, of course.” The agent dug into her coat pocket and pulled out her wallet. She flipped it open and showed the curly haired brunette her S.H.I.E.L.D. identification card. Scarlett plucked it from the woman’s hand and walked away with it. Peering over it, she decided it looked official enough to let the woman get past her. Having the history she had in the underworld, she’d gotten pretty good at identifying fake identification cards.

The agent took this time to observe the woman greeting her. She was pretty, which was not surprising considering Tony Stark’s well known reputation but beyond that she looked tired and a bit worse for wear. There were bruises around her neck and a good number of scratches and miscellaneous bandages scattered about her body. It looked like she’d lost a fight and a pretty severe one at that. Mickey wondered if she’d been at the charity event the night before but never got a chance to ask.

“Alright, Agent Pierce.” Scarlett handed the wallet back to the young woman and then turned on her heels. She opened the driver’s side door of the Aston Martin. “Tony’s upstairs sleeping. You should probably wait in the living room until he’s up. He’s indisposed.”

“I would be more than happy to do that. And if you don’t mind my asking, who are you? Obviously you’re not Pepper Potts, his assistant. I’ve met her on numerous occasions but I don’t recognize you at all.” Agent Pierce walked to the side of the car. Scarlett didn’t have the energy to give a response or to waste any more of her time with the agent that was likely there to discuss some kind of homeland security nonsense with Tony.

So, slamming the door to the Aston Martin, Scarlett ignored the question and drove out of the garage and down the long driveway. Agent Pierce watched the woman take off in the incredibly expensive looking car and furrowed her brow. Was it possible she had just let some intruder steal one of Tony’s cars?

Shrugging it off and deciding that if she had been dangerous, she would’ve done away with her, Agent Pierce started into the garage and looked around. The only thing that seemed to be missing was the car the woman had taken off in. Surely if she was a thief she would’ve taken far more from the Stark household than just a simple car, even if it was a car that was worth more money than she made in a year.

Looking around the room, Agent Pierce cautiously moved forward through the silent garage. Things didn’t look amiss in the Stark Mansion but they sure _felt_ off. There was heaviness in the air. It was like walking into an old abandoned corporate building. Now that she thought about it, nothing was turned on. There were no lights, no sounds, even the Mark suits at the other end of the room seemed, for lack of a better word, _dead_. 

Silently she wondered why her coworkers had told her it was so hard to get in touch with Tony Stark. Sure, initially she’d been ignored at the front door but the pleasant, though a little rude when pressed, woman in the garage had let her right in after properly checking her identification.

The reason she’d been given the job to go visit the Stark Mansion in the first place had been because none of her superiors had wanted to do it. Phil Coulson had come into the office and had mentioned the name Stark and nearly all of her coworkers had turned in their seat to avoid his gaze. 

She’d been the unlucky person to only be half paying attention to what was being said. And while she’d had an exceptionally busy night, she’d headed out first thing in the morning to get her work done. She had about twelve other important things to do when she was done at the Stark mansion but for now she had to find Tony Stark.

It didn’t seem like it was going to be a very difficult task at all.


	28. Sword and Shield

Tony Stark slept soundly in his large and comfortable bed through the whole night. While most people might not have thought it was that big of an accomplishment to stay asleep for an entire night in one’s bed, it was definitely a significant achievement for Tony. Ever since he’d returned from his harrowing time in captivity he’d had trouble sleeping. And who could blame him? After waking up with an electromagnet in his chest attached to a car battery in some cave in the desert, it was hard to learn how to trust the sweet surrender of sleep. There were times when the irrational fear that he’d wake back up in that dark and torturous cave and his freedom and heroism were merely a figment of his subconscious would keep him up for days at a time. 

The few and rare times he’d actually managed to make it through a solid eight hours of rest had been when he’d had a few too many drinks and even then it was likely a result of passing out rather than a natural fitful slumber. Rolling over in his bed and onto his back, the already knotted sheets wrapping tighter around him as he did, he yawned loudly and stretched his arms high above his head, the soft caress of his silk sheets soothing his sore body. His left shoulder stung and ached as his stitches pulled as a reminder to what he’d been through so he placed it gingerly back at his side before slipping his right arm behind his head with an incredibly content sigh.

Opening his eyes at long last he discovered that his room was filled with the light of the morning and quieter than he remembered it ever being in the past. A smile thick with the fond memory of what had led him to such a pleasant night’s sleep spread wider across his face. 

It had been quite a long time since he’d spent an intimate night with anyone, contrary to what his reputation would have the populace believe. While he still fit the role of the playboy in personality and in the public eye, when it came to his personal life, his romantic endeavors had stopped nearly cold turkey after he’d returned from Afghanistan. There had been attempts at flings and the same cavalier lifestyle he’d once been the master of but it had never satisfied him the same way it had once done. Sure, he’d the tried a more _serious_ relationship with Pepper Potts but that hadn’t lasted for very long and had never been quite right for either of them. He still hadn’t figured out what had led to their downfall. Either way, this was the first time in a very long time that he had truly felt at home after a wild night with a beautiful woman.

The media had consistently continued to report on his more social excursions, obviously animal magnetism, and sexual prowess despite how he hadn’t brought any of the women who hung on his arm home with him. Being as fond of the attention as he was Tony decided to let the world continue to think that he was the notorious playboy with loose morals that he’d been for most of his twenties and thirties. 

But the truth had become far removed from that. Having a near death experience had changed everything about his life, including his sexual appetite and desires. It wasn’t that the urge and lust wasn’t there, it _definitely_ was as he’d proved in simple conversation. But echoing right behind that appetite were the wise words that Yinsen, the man who had saved his life in the desert, had spoke to him during his time in captivity. He was the man with _everything_ and _nothing_. 

So when his need for sexual gratification had consumed him and he considered continuing to sleep his way through the western coast as he once had done on a regular basis, he remembered just how little those encounters actually _meant_. When it came down to it, Tony didn’t want to waste his time with something meaningless anymore. He used to do it because it felt good and it was a way to show off. In more recent days he’d felt empty at the idea of it. Of course, he was no saint by any stretch of the word but he was certainly not the party animal he appeared to be in the eye of the media.

Brushing his hand through his short and stylish hair lazily, Tony rolled his head to the side to look over at the woman who had been his companion for the night. Leaning up on his elbow when he didn’t see the tangled mess of brown curls that he’d expected to find scattered close by, his eyes scanned around the room in search of her. He half expected to find her coming through his bedroom door with a cup of coffee she’d made. Well, it wasn’t really what he had been _expecting_ but it was what he had been fantasizing about. 

If she’d done that for him, dressed in nothing but his t-shirt shirt, he would’ve practically died with happiness and very likely would’ve stolen her attention until her coffee ran cold. Instead, there was nothing in his doorway, nothing in his room and he was all alone. Peeking under his sheets to confirm that he was still naked and hadn’t imagined what had happened the night before with Scarlett he saw what he’d expected to see. The room still smelled like sex, despite how his partner was nowhere to be found.

Groaning from the soreness and ache tensing in his muscles, Tony couldn’t help but crack a smile at his discomfort. Even if it _wasn’t_ from his late night extracurricular activities with his houseguest and was more than likely caused by the intense fight he’d been in with the ruthless drones at the charity event, he couldn’t help but _want_ to blame it on the former seeing as that was far more entertaining.

“Jarvis, where did Scarlett run off too?” Speaking nearly incoherently through a yawn, Tony waited for his house to respond in a sarcastic manner as it always reliably did. When there was no audible reply, Tony swung his legs lazily out from beneath the sheets and off the side of the bed. “Jarvis, has Pepper shown up yet? What time is it? I must have overslept.” There was still no response from Tony’s makeshift butler. His heart dropped into his stomach and his back stiffened. Looking around his room in search of some sign of what happened he realized that absolutely nothing was responsive. Usually there were little signal lights from electronic devices, the hum of the air conditioning system and the constant beep of his phone to fill the silence. The power had gone out out which was _peculiar_ considering Tony had a private power supply built just for his house. The only way he’d lose power was if it’d been _turned_ off purposely.

Hurriedly Tony slipped on a pair of boxers, nearly tripped as he wiggled them up and rushed out of his bedroom. Somehow he knew in his gut _exactly_ what had happened. He’d been had. 

Walking barefoot through the hallway that was so quiet it was almost like a scene from a horror movie, Tony stopped at the guest room he’d been allowing Scarlett to stay in. Her dress from the night before was lying on her perfectly made bed, discarded. He’d been hoping to find that she’d returned to her bed but there was no other sign of her. Cursing loudly underneath his breath, he smashed his fist hard against the wall. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down, he tried not to feel betrayed but was finding it impossible. Sitting on the edge of Scarlett’s bed, Tony rested his head in his hands and grumbled under his breath more curse words.

How _hadn’t_ he seen it coming? She’d been so convincing the night before! Something deep down inside of him was trying to convince him that it wasn’t that she’d been _lying_ to him at all. There wasn’t an actress in the world who could fake the sort of reaction he’d gotten out of her in bed the night before. She’d been as into what they were doing as he had been and while he was sure she would argue against it if he ever saw her again, he already knew the truth. Now he wondered _why_ she’d bothered to turn off his computer systems and where she’d gone to. There was only one way to find out. Part of Tony didn’t want to know. Part of him wanted to go back to sleep and forget about it, but he knew it was impossible.

If Scarlett thought that Tony was going to give up and roll over that easily then she had another thing coming. 

“Tony?” Pepper’s voice echoed from the main level of the mansion. He’d never realized how cold and sterile his house seemed until it was devoid of the warmth Jarvis and his other advanced technology provided. “Tony, the power’s out down here and Jarvis isn’t responding to me. Is everything okay?” Worry was thick in his assistant’s voice. After what had happened at the charity event Tony couldn’t blame her for feeling paranoid. He should’ve listened to Peppers’ instincts about Scarlett. She’d told him days ago that he was getting in over his head with the woman and Tony had ignored her.

Still bruised, scratched up and half naked Tony started out of Scarlett’s bedroom. Stopping in the doorway to glance back at the dress he’d stripped off of her the night before, Tony sighed heavily. Steeling his nerves, he stormed out into the hallway and hurried down the stairs. He’d use the feeling of betrayal to fuel his anger.

“Tony? Tony, what’s going on in here?” Pepper had her phone in her hand when she saw her boss appear on the staircase. Pressing a few buttons to end the call she was making she hurried up to him in the living room once he’d descended the stairs. “You didn’t take care of yourself _at all_ last night, did you?”

“I don’t have the energy for that right now so don’t bother.” Tony’s voice was haggard and tired.

“Why is the power out? That’s never happened before. Wait, _can_ that happen?” Pepper’s face was wrinkled with concern and confusion.

“Does it _look_ like I know what’s going on?” Tony rushed toward the staircase on the other end of the room that led to his garage and his lab. He was partially afraid of what he was going to find there. What had Scarlett done to his security system? Maybe he’d been wrong about her from the beginning and she’d simply been doing her job as a spy. Had she been flaunting her goal in his face all along by telling him what he wanted to hear? 

Suddenly every move she’d made since she’d woken up in his lab seemed like a ploy and he’d played right into her hands. But what about the tension he’d felt when he was with her? Not to mention the smiles and the laughter she’d shared with him. What about the pain and the doubt he’d seen in her eyes when she’d made her confessions? What about her panic attack on the sidewalk and then again when they’d been working. There had been nothing but fear in her eyes then. Was she simply _that_ good? There was no way. 

“Tony what’s going on? Are you okay? Where’s Scarlett? I need you to answer me, I’m worried!” Pepper grabbed Tony’s arm before he could leave the room when he’d insisted on giving her the silent treatment. It wasn’t like her boss and friend to simply ignore her quite the way he was doing. He had, of course, ignored her on many occasions but Pepper could feel that something was different.

“Just… go about your day for now, okay? I don’t know what happened yet. When I figure it out, I’ll tell you.” Tony offered a reassuring smile then waved Pepper off and when she moved to follow him he turned to look at her sharply. Pepper, surprised by Tony’s agitation with her, backed off and headed back into the living room despite her concern. He clearly wasn’t in any danger so she’d let him come to her in his own time.

Tony rushed downstairs and through the wide open door to his laboratory. The garage that doubled as his personal workspace was dark and foreboding with the exception of the light that was flooding in from the open garage door at the far end. Walking over to his central computer desk he flipped on the screens of his computer upon realizing that the power _wasn’t_ turned off but rather everything was disabled. Next to his high tech computer that controlled everything in the house was the laptop that he’d used the morning before when he’d woken up to do some upgrades to Jarvis’ system from his bedroom.

Cursing loudly once again, he realized that must have been how Scarlett had accessed his systems. He’d never bothered to log off of his laptop after his work was completed considering that he had never really had the _need_ to be that defensive in regards to his things before. Leaning his elbows on top of his desk, Tony rested his head in his hands and tried to erase the fog of sleep from his mind. If Scarlett thought that Tony was going to simply sit back and let her take control completely from him, then she obviously hadn’t been paying enough attention when they’d been playing the night before.

Touching the power button on his computer he, once again, let out a long string of curses when it didn’t respond to him. Pushing his computer chair out of the way he crawled beneath his desk and saw the mess of wires unplugged from the back of his computer’s tower. The amount of trouble that Scarlett had gone through to delay him was astounding. If he hadn’t been so angry with her then he would’ve given her a pat on the back. No one had _ever_ pulled the wool over his eyes so severely before.

“Excuse me, Mr. Stark?” Tony jumped at the sound of an unfamiliar woman’s voice behind him and smacked his head on the bottom of the desk. “Oh, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” The cautious and tired face of a woman in a suit peeked at him underneath the desk. Her cheeks were pink and she was making every effort to make eye contact instead of looking elsewhere. Tony only had to wonder why for a moment before recalling that he was walking around half naked.

Sneaking out from beneath the desk, Tony wondered who the hell this new woman was and how the hell she’d gotten into his lab. The fleeting worry that perhaps Scarlett had been _taken_ in the night graced his thoughts then was quickly rejected. She was far too stubborn to be taken quietly.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” Tony spat his words far more severely than he’d meant to.

“I’m from S.H.I.E.L.D. and I’ve got some paperwork from Director Fury for you that needs signing. He’s requested as a consultant that you take a look at some new documents as well.” The woman was trying to keep her professional demeanor but found that she was doing her utmost best to avoid looking at Tony Stark in general considering the situation. This morning couldn’t have gotten any more awkward and confusing than it had been already. Between her legal troubles, the rude brunette and now the bruised and nearly nude Tony Stark, she wasn’t sure how the day could get any weirder.

“I’m a little too busy for that bullshit right now so… if you don’t mind.” Tony ignored her request and then crawled back underneath his desk. Lying on his side he started reconnecting the wires from his computer so he could make it functional again. It was the only place he could think to start. Without his technology to assist him, he was practically useless. Mickey stood awkwardly next to the desk, this clearly not being the answer that she needed. After realizing that was all that he had to say to her and there would be no follow up request, she wondered if he’d forgotten she was there. He was clearly preoccupied with his computer.

Mumbling something incoherently about betrayal and sexy under his breath, Tony slid out from underneath the desk and smashed his hand against the computer to turn it on. As it hummed to life he sighed with relief and leaned against his desk, waiting for the processes to finish booting up.

“Mr. Stark I’m afraid that it’s not as simple as me coming back later…” Mickey cleared her throat and did her best to sound polite, but Tony refused to acknowledge her presence, still clearly focused on his computer. 

How had Scarlett gotten past his defenses even with the laptop that had been logged on? His computer system was designed not to respond to anyone outside of himself and a restricted amount of commands that he’d assigned to Pepper! Had Jarvis betrayed him? Tony didn’t think so. He’d watched her in action with computers a handful of times and then working with his hardware and wondered if he’d underestimated Scarlett’s abilities from the very beginning. She’d been fascinated with his technology but he’d written it off to curiosity. It was in his nature to assume that he was better than everyone else because ninety nine perfect of the time he _was_ better.

Even after Pepper had convinced him to strike a business deal with Scarlett and he’d learned more about her credentials Tony still hadn’t considered her to be on the same intellectual level as him. Tony had three different doctorates before most people had been accepted into college and was considered, by far, the most skilled technological genius of his time. He’d never considered that he might meet someone who could give him a run for his money in his generation. But now he was _definitely_ considering that he’d been wrong. It was rare, but it was known to happen.

When the computer had finished its boot up process at long last, Tony logged in past the password protected screen and immediately started typing away and restoring power to his house. The lights in the garage snapped on one by one overhead, machines around the room came to life and filled the room with the familiar and comforting hum, robots powered up and started to go about their business and most importantly Jarvis’ systems came back online and his holographic grid scanned the garage and presumably the rest of the house.

“Jarvis, what the hell happened last night?” Tony shouted in annoyance, not looking away from his computer screen. Just when Mickey thought the day couldn’t get weirder, Tony had started yelling at his computer like it was a person.

“Mr. Stark, I just have some paperwork I need you to go over for Director Fury. Please, it will only take a quick moment of your time.” The woman who had finally gotten over her embarrassment held a manila folder and brought it close to where Tony was typing in hopes of catching his eye. Glancing over at the woman in the suit like he was seeing her for the first time he blinked in confusion.

“You’re a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent? How the hell did you get into my house?” Brow furrowed, Tony turned his attention back to the computer in front of him.

“Some woman let me in a little while ago.” Tony froze when she responded and finally turned away from the computer to pay attention to the agent. “Agent Mickey Pierce, Mr. Stark. We’ve met before but I doubt you remember. I was with my fiancé. He was one of your biggest fans actually…”

“Some woman let you in? What did she look like? Tall, pretty? Brunette? Sneaky blue eyes that are apparently up to no good?” Tony gestured to his face for an example, interrupting the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in her introduction speech.

“Yes that sounds about right. She told me that you were asleep still and I could wait for you upstairs.” Mickey hesitated, wondering what on earth she’d gotten herself into. She should’ve listened to her gut and used one of the sick days she had piled up.

“I see you listened well.” Tony rolled his eyes and then stood up straight, hearing his back crack uncomfortably. “Jarvis, locate Miss Potts for me so I can speak to her.” Clearing his throat numerous times, Tony waited until a small holographic screen popped up in front of him. Mickey audibly gasped and stumbled backwards. She’d seen Stark technology at work, but those unfamiliar with the way he ran his house were always astonished by Jarvis’ capabilities. “Pepper!”

“Oh Tony! The house suddenly came back to life. Everything’s okay now, right?” Pepper looked concerned on Jarvis’ screen.

“There’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent something or other down here that I need you to deal with for me.” Tony turned off the communication with Pepper before she could respond and yell at him for not having answered her questions. He didn’t need her to ask what had happened _again_ considering he still had no idea what the hell had happened. “Miss Potts will deal with any paperwork Captain Cyclops has for me. Next time tell him that there’s this thing called email and it’s pretty efficient.” Tony waved Mickey off and when she didn’t move, he acknowledged the door leading out of his lab and up to his living room. He felt like there was something important about the agent standing nearby that he was supposed to remember but his thoughts were consumed with what Scarlett had done.

Mickey stared skeptically at Tony, unsure if she should be insulted or not, and then started toward the doorway which opened automatically for her and led to the staircase. She decided that it wasn’t worth talking to Tony when he was as preoccupied as he currently was.

“Jarvis, what the _hell_ happened last night?” Tony asked again while he started pulling up files on his computer. He was trying to figure out if Scarlett had stolen anything from him or destroyed any of his information. 

His bank accounts seemed to be untouched and in order, none of them accessed over any part of the morning or night. Even his files hadn’t been altered in anyway. It looked like she hadn’t actually done _anything_ except for turn off his house and give him one of the worst scares of his life. And of course, leave him alone in bed after what he _thought_ had been a fantastic night. Bitterness turned in his stomach and he licked his lips in an attempt to get the taste out of his mouth to no avail.

“I can’t honestly answer that for you, sir.” Jarvis took a moment to scan his memory to try and figure out what had transpired the night before. “My systems were disabled within the night so there is no data until you booted me back up.”

“Damnit. What about my files? Was anything accessed or altered in the last twelve hours?” Tony hung his head and furrowed his brow, trying to think clearly. There had to be something he was missing.

“Not that I can tell, sir. It appears that all your information is untouched and intact as it had been before my services were disabled.”

“Why would she do this to me?” Tony wiped his hand over his face and held his palm over his mouth as he considered what Scarlett had done. Glancing toward the open garage door, he considered that maybe she was playing a game with him.

“Sir, your Aston Martin V12 Vanquish appears to no longer be in its assigned location at the far end of the garage.”

“What?” Tony looked around frantically only to realize that his car was _not_ where he’d last parked it. Narrowing his eyes he considered what that meant. Scarlett had gone through the trouble of turning off his complex security system to steal one of his _cars_? There was no way that had been what she’d set out to do. Besides, she had to be smart enough to know that he’d be able to track her in one of _his_ vehicles after having seen the technological advancements he’d installed into the other cars. She wanted him to find her and for some reason this made his heart leap in his chest.

“Your Aston Martin V12 Vanquish…”

“Oh don’t be a smart ass.” Tony scoffed but couldn’t help but finally smile. “Really Jarvis?”

“My apologies.” The computer immediately continued. “Would you like me to alert the authorities of the theft, sir?”

“No.” Tony contemplated reporting his stolen car to the police. He didn’t think Scarlett was really out to _hurt_ him. He had to consider that she was far more troubled than she had been letting on. The night before had been a trial of trust and faith and if it had been him sharing that much about his past with someone he wasn’t sure he could _entirely_ trust to begin with he wasn’t sure he would’ve acted any differently than she had.

“What action would you like me to take?” Jarvis repeated once it was clear Tony wasn’t sure what to do.

“I need you to power the car down safely and get me GPS coordinates to its exact location. Program it into the Bugati and get it ready to go.” Tony glanced down at himself before marching back upstairs. He’d get changed quickly and go after Scarlett. Maybe she didn’t think that he’d want to chase after her after having gotten her into bed considering his reputation. Well, he was about to prove her wrong and look damn good doing it.

Mickey watched Tony march past her up the stairs and wondered what the hell she’d just been witness to. Honestly, if she had worked for any other agency she would’ve been surprised by the confusion in the Stark household. But Tony Stark running around half naked when some mystery woman had apparently stolen his car had been one of the most normal things she’d seen through the entire week; though the crazy talking computers had thrown her for a loop. The computer Tony had referred to as Jarvis spoke to her again and this continued to unsettle her so she shifted uncomfortably.

“Right this way ma’am. Miss Potts awaits you in the living room.” The lights of the stairwell came to life one by one, guiding Mickey up the stairs. Slowly she headed along her path, taking in all there was to see in the beautiful Stark mansion. Once at the top of the stairs she could see Pepper Potts approaching her, hand extended politely to shake. The mansion was beyond lavish and it was taking all of Mickey’s willpower not to let her eyes wander around the room.

“Hello, I’m Pepper Potts.” Pepper had a few minor scratches here and there but otherwise looked her usual chipper self. Apparently the odd goings on in the Stark Mansion hadn’t been _too_ out of the ordinary considering how calm she seemed. Either that, or Pepper had gotten used to dealing with chaos.

“Special Agent Mickey Pierce.” She smiled politely and shook Pepper’s hand. “We’ve met a few times before in the past. I doubt you remember me considering everything you have to deal with whenever you’re with your boss.”

“Oh no, that’s right. I do remember you actually… You have the cute dog right? You brought him in one time. Very sweet thing…” Pepper snapped her fingers in remembrance, nodding her head.

“Yes, that’s me. Everyone seems to remember me because of Pluto.” Mickey smiled, but Pepper could see the weariness on the woman’s face.

“Mickey and Pluto, yes that’s right. I remember. How could I forget? Sorry that things are obviously kind of crazy right here now.” Pepper watched Tony as he slipped on a leather sports jacket, slid on a pair of designer sunglasses and marched back down to the basement. She could smell his cologne despite the fact that he seemed like he was in a hurry. Still curious as to what was going on and why Tony was so angry at everything it took all of Pepper’s available professionalism to keep from running after her boss and friend to find out what the problem was. She trusted that Jarvis would update her if necessary and turned her attention back to Mickey and the manila folder she was holding.

“I can see that and don’t worry about it. I’m used to it in this line of work. Is it anything I can help with?” Mickey didn’t actually have the time to help sort out someone else’s problems but felt rude not offering.

“To be perfectly honest I have no idea what’s going.” Chuckling under her breath, Pepper turned her attention away from the staircase once Tony had disappeared and looked to Mickey. “So, Agent Pierce what is it that I can do for you today?”

“You can call Mickey to start with. Agent Pierce was my father.” She smiled pleasantly, but still those lines of stress near her eyes betrayed her kind smile.

“Well then Mickey, why don’t you have a seat on the couch? Can I fix you a cup of tea or coffee? Perhaps something a little stronger, maybe? It looks like you need a drink as much as I do.” Pepper attempted to calm the woman’s nerves.

“As much as I’d like that I think I need to keep my wits about me. I have a court hearing to go to after this and I probably shouldn’t lower my inhibitions.” Mickey finally frowned. “But I have some papers from Director Fury that Tony needs to look over and sign. Something about billing, I don’t know. There might be information on a new target in there too. I wasn’t permitted to details. All I know is that I was told that coming here to the Stark mansion was loads harder than it actually was except for when I got road blocked by Tony Stark himself. Half naked Tony Stark at that, which I definitely was not ready for.” Mickey managed a sincere laugh as she spoke. It had been more than startling to see him walking into the garage in nothing but his boxer shorts and then proceeding to ignore her once he’d done so.

“Tony likes to mess with the agents that come here sometimes. It often makes it an entire day’s experience trying to get his signature.” Pepper smiled apologetically. “Next time you need to talk to him, call me instead. I know how to deal with Tony so… it will save you some of your valuable time.”

“Thank you so much. These just need to be faxed back to Coulson by the end of the week if you don’t mind.” Mickey handed the manila envelope that she’d tried to give to Tony earlier in the garage to Pepper who took it with a smile.

“I’ll get them back as soon as this madness is sorted out.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it.” Mickey nodded with a sigh then looked toward the staircase. “I guess I should get going. I’m being sued so I should probably you know… go talk to my lawyer before the hearing begins.”

“I honestly think you _could_ use a cup of coffee at the least.” Pepper sat down on the couch and started looking through the familiar S.H.I.E.L.D. paperwork that she’d dealt with a thousand times. “Jarvis can you get Miss Pierce a cup of coffee?”

“Yes, Miss Potts.” The computer responded overhead. Mickey hesitated and then sat down on the couch.

“I guess that I’m already running late so a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt. It’s not like they can proceed without me considering…”

“What are you being sued for? You’re so young! Doesn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. take care of that legal stuff for you?”

“Yes, they would be assisting me if it was work related but this is more of a personal matter.” Mickey glanced down at her hands and grimaced. The grief was still settling in a knot in her stomach that didn’t know how to loosen. “Not even twelve hours after my fiancé dies and his bitch of an ex-wife is already suing me for everything he’s left me.” Pepper stayed silent for a moment. 

She hadn’t stayed in the hospital with Leonard once he was admitted considering she’d taken it upon herself to be responsible for Happy’s wellbeing as well as her own. Guilt flooded through Pepper and tears burned immediately behind her vision. She knew that Leonard hadn’t been doing well when he was taken away in the ambulance but she had been so certain that he would recover.

“I’m so sorry.” Pepper offered an apologetic smile, her voice breaking as she spoke. “Leonard was really brave you know…”

“Kind of stupid though from what I heard, wasn’t he?” Mickey took the cup of coffee that Jarvis offered her hesitantly and took a sip of it. It felt bizarre living in such a lavish manner, even as a guest. “Jumping into danger that he shouldn’t have been a part of at all to begin with? People told me what he did. You know he’s… he was such a huge Iron Man fan that he probably felt like a super hero just getting to be around Tony.”

“I really am sorry. I know Tony will be too when he finds out. We were fond of him, he was a really nice guy and very brave.” Pepper furrowed her brow and bit back her upset. “It was such a mess last night in that place. I should’ve stayed at the hospital to make sure he was alright. Please forgive me for not recognizing you as his fiancé at first when you came in.”

“It’s really okay.” Mickey shrugged her shoulders. Leonard was much older than she was so she’d been mistaken for someone other than his fiancé many times before and it no longer upset her. She’d spent most of the night mourning but first thing that morning she’d been served papers by Leonard’s ex-wife’s lawyers as well as papers from the lawyer in charge of Leonard’s vast estate.

“So why are you being sued? She can’t possibly think you’re responsible. There would be no case anyway.” Pepper sipped her own cup of coffee, eyeing the pretty agent over the top of it.

“Well, Leonard was rather wealthy and we were going to be married soon. He left me his money. I honestly hadn’t expected that. He has kids so I thought it would be left in a trust for them.” Mickey scoffed. As nice as it had been to know that Leonard had cared enough for her to leave her with his fortune so she’d be well taken care of, it seemed like more of a burden than it was worth. She’d loved Leonard enough to marry him, but felt guilty that he’d left her everything in his will when he’d had a wife and kids before they’d started dating.

“That’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it? It’s almost a confirmation that he loved you and trusted you.” Pepper couldn’t shake the guilt and wondered if she should tell Tony. Surely Tony would feel guilty and responsible for Leonard’s death when it had really been beyond his control. The older gentleman had made his choices and had paid the ultimate price for them.

“Well, it was a blessing until his ex-wife immediately sued me for his fortune.” Mickey chuckled but there was no amusement on her face as she took a sip of the perfectly brewed coffee. She’d never been a fan of the drink but wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“That’s rough.” Pepper shook her head in dismay. It didn’t seem like the day was going well for anyone.

“You know, it’s pretty remarkable how little attention she would pay to things that didn’t benefit her but the moment that Leonard died she tries to make a claim for his money. I’m not looking forward to the list of names she’s going to call me when I get to that hearing.” Sighing heavily, Mickey set the cup down on the end table and stood up. Straightening her suit jacket she looked around. “I’ve burdened you enough for the day, Miss Potts. Thank you for the coffee.”

“Pepper, please and it’s no burden at all. To be honest your visit is the most normal thing that’s happened to me today and was welcomed.”

“Good luck with that by the way.” Mickey looked sincerely amused by the situation Pepper had to deal with.

“Thanks, I think I’m going to need it by the look of things.”

“So should I… go out the front door this time instead of the garage?”

“Yes, yes most definitely. You came in through the garage? Never mind it’s not important.” Pepper laughed awkwardly and got up from where she had been seated, leading Mickey toward the front door through the meandering halls of the Stark mansion. Exchanging goodbyes with the woman from S.H.I.E.L.D. Pepper closed the door behind her and leaned against it wondering what sort of mess Tony had gotten into. “Jarvis make sure to send flowers to Agent Pierce with our apologies for Leonard, will you?”

“Yes, Miss Potts.”

“And let me know what’s going on with Tony as soon as you know.”

“You will know as soon as I do.”


	29. Anger and Silence

There were just about a thousand different scenarios that Tony expected to run into when he arrived at the GPS coordinates that Jarvis had programmed into his car once the Aston Martin Scarlett had stolen had been located. He’d spent the hour long drive through the barren desert highway pondering over which one he’d stumble upon and what she’d possibly done in his house the night before while he’d slept. 

The betrayal he’d initially felt was quickly shifting into a mixture of concern and anger. There was _no_ chance that he’d been simply fooled into bed by a pretty face. It wasn’t in his nature to be deceived by women, regardless of their intelligence. No, it was usually the other way around in his case. Tony was definitely not used to being on the receiving end of the _morning after_. Never once had he been left alone in bed and regretted it before. He’d always had Pepper around to send his date for the previous night home in the morning and he’d never thought anything of how it would impact anyone’s life except for his.

In fact, he’d always thought of it as doing his dates a _favor_. He’d given them what they wanted, and more, and he of course had gotten what _he_ needed so what else was there to be had? Shaking the confusing feelings from his mind with a grumble and pressing his foot down harder on the accelerator, Tony considered instead what he would find when he got to the coordinates a few miles ahead of him.

The scenario that Tony considered would be most likely would be he would find the car abandoned on the side of the road. Scarlett would have likely taken whatever work she’d stolen from him to recreate and sell to less than nefarious people and run where he’d never find her. He had to consider that it was a huge possibility she was a thief, but his gut was telling him it wasn’t the case. 

She’d seemed like she’d had such benevolent intentions. Tony had dismissed the idea several times but couldn’t help coming back to it. He’d been betrayed before and his first impressions of people wasn’t exactly what he’d call _stellar_ considering someone he’d once referred to as family for his entire life had betrayed him at the turn of a dime and had even hired someone to kill him. 

Once again, Tony rejected the idea of Scarlett selling his ideas for a profit. She had to have had other motives to break into his systems. The speech she’d given him when they’d been working on recreating the element about doing the right thing hadn’t been a lie. There was something dark and dangerous lurking inside of Scarlett, but he was guessing it was threatening to destroy _her_ not _him_.

Maybe he’d find her walking on the side of the road with her thumb held out, trying to hitch a ride. The scenario that followed the idea in his mind was both amusing _and_ terrifying. Scarlett could get into serious trouble if the wrong person picked her up on the side of the road. Then again, considering what her job had been before he’d met her it was possible that she’d cause more trouble for whoever picked her up than they would cause for her. Still, it was in Tony’s nature to think up every possible ending to what could happen and he didn’t like either option.

Then there was the very distinct possibility that Tony wouldn’t find the car at all. If she was clever enough to get through his security, it was possible that she was clever enough to disable the GPS tracker in the car or reprogram it so he would find nothing but the mechanical remnants of his system and a second middle finger from Scarlett. What had he done to deserve such treatment? There was a laundry list of perverted and selfish things he could think of, but he pushed them to the back of his mind. Of course, she could’ve sold the pieces of the car as well. Perhaps he’d find a sad shell of what used to be his beautiful sports car.

What Tony actually found on the side of the desert highway surprised him. It was the one scenario that he hadn’t played out in his mind but now that he saw what he was up against, he was starting to consider it. Turning the Bugati sharply in a u-turn on the abandoned looking highway Tony parked behind the Aston Martin and looked to the computer system in his dash while he considered this new situation.

“Jarvis, keep the car running while I talk to Scarlett.”

“Is everything alright, sir?” Tony stared at the car in surprise.

“Jarvis, you do realize she _disabled_ you and you’re still concerned about her well being? How could you possibly _still_ have a crush on her?” Scoffing, Tony was partially amused and annoyed by his computers reaction.

“With all due respect, sir I am not the one chasing after her in the desert. I also most certainly didn’t put on my nicest suit and cologne to do so.”

“I didn’t think computers could be defensive, good job Jarvis.” Tony unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door of his car. “And this is _not_ my nicest suit.”

“Of course not sir, my mistake.” Tony closed the door before Jarvis could respond further, straightened his tie and then started toward the parked Aston Martin. Scarlett hadn’t moved since he’d parked his car, despite the dirt he’d kicked up in the process. Sitting on the hood of the Aston Martin she was sipping out of a cardboard cup, what was presumably coffee.

Walking around the car to the front of it, Tony pulled off his expensive sunglasses, straightened his sport coat and then put his hands in his pockets. Having to remind himself he wasn’t trying to show off he cleared his throat. He was going to wait for her to say something or offer an explanation for her behavior but she didn’t seem to have much to say to him. Instead he stared at her legs that were simply sitting there, basking in sunlight for him to enjoy. Sometimes he hated his libido, though he reconsidered that thought as quickly as it came into his head.

“I bought you coffee.” Scarlett reached to her right and grabbed the second cardboard cup that she’d gotten before the car had warned her it was turning off. She’d never wanted to escape him. She simply had to create a reason for her actions that would keep Tony off the trail of what she was _really_ up to. Seeing him standing now in front of her the guilt she’d been fighting all morning returned at full force. She had to remind herself that she had to keep her walls up until she knew the truth about his involvement with MedCo. If he ever forgave her for what she’d put him through, then perhaps things would work out but she had to act like it never would for the sake of her heart.

Something told her it was too late to prepare her heart to break if she couldn’t fix the mess she’d made. She was already much further down the rabbit hole than she’d ever intended to go.

“What?” Tony shook away the thoughts of having sex on the hood of his car and glanced at the cup in her hand. When she hadn’t made conversation he’d instead taken to fantasizing about possible outcomes of the situation again.

“I wasn’t sure how you took it so there are some things for you to add into it in the car if you want.”

“I don’t _want_ coffee.”

“You look like you could _use_ some coffee.” A smile curled on Scarlett’s lips as she held the cup out for him to take. Tony walked closer and placed the sunglasses in his pocket but still ignored the cup she held out for him. Pulling it closed and sitting up straight she waited for him to respond to her but he didn’t seem to know what to say. Silence, minus a car here or there passing by followed until Tony finally found his words.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that you were probably in need of an energy boost.” Scarlett looked puzzled and then held the cup of coffee out for him again. Much to her surprise, Tony knocked it out of her hand and the contents spilled all over the sand, the cup rolling onto the highway then blowing quickly away in the wind.

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“Then why are you beating around the bush, Stark?” Tony actually let his mouth hang open to hear her once again calling him by his _last_ name. He then turned away and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I should’ve listened to Pepper.”

“She’d probably agree with you on that.” Scarlett sighed, but her chest was stinging in agony to see him so upset with her. Once again she had to be reminded to keep her defenses on high alert.

“So what is it you were doing, huh? Are you stealing ideas in progress or without a copyright? Were you trying to figure out the arc reactor technology so you can sell it underground?” Tony blurted out accusations without thinking. The last hour spent in the car had filled his mind with nasty words.

“Why would you ask that?” Scarlett took a sip out of her coffee cup nonchalantly.

“I don’t know, _you’re_ the spy so why don’t you tell me why I’d jump to those conclusions?”

“You think that I broke through your complex security system to steal your _ideas_?” Scarlett’s playful smile disappeared and her defenses finally kicked in. “I told you what I thought about your company _and_ its motives many times and you _still_ think that’s what I’m after? That I’m trying to pull the wool over your eyes to make a quick buck? Are you that stupid? All that genius in there and that’s the best you can come up with?”

“My company?” Tony let his tongue brush over his bottom row of teeth and rubbed his fingers over his beard. “You mean the one that you signed legal papers to work for? The one that’s wildly successful and working toward making a difference? What is it _you_ do again? You destroy lives and you destroy ideas. You do nothing but _destroy_ and you’re giving _me_ a hard time about what I do? I’ve had enough of it!”

“So nice to finally hear what you really think of me, Stark.” Scarlett didn’t let it show that it had upset her to know those dark opinions of her had been lurking in his mind, but she wondered if this was now a blessing in disguise. Would he have eventually turned on her if she’d pursued her romantic interest? If she could keep thinking like that maybe she’d stop hurting so deeply.

“Don’t try to turn me into the bad guy here. You _crashed_ my computer and let a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent into my house while I was sleeping! Anyone could’ve walked in and stolen anything from me! Not to mention god only knows what _you_ actually stole from me.” Face turning red, Tony tried to think rationally, but at some point rationality had flown out the window.

“That’s it, isn’t it? I must be jealous of the genius that is Tony Stark.” Scarlett spoke coldly, though she didn’t honestly feel a word of what she was saying. If he was going to say things to hurt her then she would return the favor. “No one could possibly come up with ideas as good as yours! I mean, that _has_ to be why I did it. I couldn’t possible have other reasons or other motives up my sleeve. I couldn’t possibly just want to prove that I could take down your security system or have reasons more two dimensional than that. You’re the only genius around Tony, the only one with any brains so I guess you _must_ be right.”

“Why the hell would you want to prove that you can take down my security system? That doesn’t even make sense!” Tony curled his lip in annoyance. “You bear your soul to me, you take care of me when I’m hurting and then you roll around in my sheets just to break into my private files and disappear? You’re sick. There’s something wrong with you. Somewhere along the line something broke inside that pretty little head of yours!” The angry words kept dripping from Tony’s lips like venom.

“Oh, so I was wrong then. This is about something totally different.” Scarlett stood up and set down her cup of coffee on the hood of the car behind her. “You think I used you.” Tony didn’t answer immediately but instead looked taken aback by the accusation.

“Used _me_?” His mouth hung open and for the first time since she’d met him, he was completely speechless.

“How does it feel to have a taste of your own medicine?” Scarlett looked away from him, then started walking toward the back of the car. Was he right? Was she broken beyond repair after years of turning off her emotions and needs? “To have someone lure you to their lips, draw you into bed, take you to the moon and back… And then leave you… alone. How does it feel, Stark?” Before Scarlett could turn back around to face him, Tony caught up with her and placed his hands on her hips and swiftly pulled her close.

“That’s not what you did. You didn’t _use_ me.” He tilted his head to the side. Despite her angry words, her body language was telling him a completely different story. She was being defensive, like she’d been wounded. But who had hurt her? She’d been the one to lash out at him not the other way around.

“What if I was? Shouldn’t you know? You’re the expert.” Scarlett didn’t stiffen up or lean into his touch but instead stared out into the desert.

“If you used me then turn around right now and tell me…” Tony brushed her hair back and tucked it behind her ear, tilting his head to the side to whisper in her ear. If she would apologize and explain what she’d done maybe they could go back to the way things had been that morning. There was a method to her madness, he knew it. There had to be a good reason for her to go through his things or she wouldn’t have done it. Closing his eyes he saw the look on her face from the night before in his mind’s eye and knew it hadn’t been faked. She’d really trusted him and what they’d done had been more than what she was claiming it was. “Face me and tell me that it was meaningless sex. Tell me it was a one night stand. Turn around and prove to me that when you quivered underneath my touch and lost your breath with me that it meant _nothing_.”

Scarlett couldn’t answer him, not honestly and not falsely. It hadn’t been a one night stand as much as she had wanted it to be. No matter how many times she had tried to convince her own mind that it would mean nothing, it had meant far more than that and it was killing her, festering inside of her like a cancer.

“You can’t say it, can you?” Tony purposely made the scruff of his goatee brush against her neck, recalling how it’d made her react the night before. That hadn’t been an act. Even if she had set out to use him originally, he’d gotten the best of her in bed. Scarlett gritted her teeth and had to repeat over and over in her mind that she couldn’t get in any deeper with Tony than she already had, not until she’d straightened out her mess and that meant getting to a computer off of his network to go through what she’d stolen.

“No.” Scarlett pushed his hands off of her hips and turned around to face him. “You’re unbelievable, you know what?”

“See, that’s all I wanted to hear.” Tony couldn’t help but smirk as he spoke but Scarlett scowled in response.

“It’s still _all_ about you, it’s amazing really.” Scarlett took a step away from him when he reached out for her again. If she could just keep his hands off of her then the fog he created would be lifted and she could fight this battle and win. But when would she be able to stop thinking this was a war? Would she ever be able to let things happen for the sake of happening rather than coming out on top?

“Of course it’s about me.” Tony held his hands out in front of him, clearly confused on how it could be about anything else. “You left _me_ alone in bed this morning and you broke into _my_ things and stole _my_ car. If this isn’t about me then I don’t know what is. You can’t say that’s just my ego talking.”

“You are the most _selfish_ person I have ever met in my life and that is really saying something because I have worked for some real self obsessed assholes in my life.” Scarlett swallowed the guilt at last. “It’s _not_ about you, not this time. You could’ve been anyone last night and it wouldn’t have mattered! It was about adrenaline, danger and alcohol.”

“That’s not true.” Tony frowned. Was he really so wrong to think this was about him? What else could it be about? No matter what train of thought he went down it all started and ended with him being the root cause of the matter.

“Are you upset?” Scarlett stepped closer, feeling braver than before now that she’d built up her nerves. If she could make him angry with her then maybe it wouldn’t be such a conflicting emotion she felt. She’d expected him to have sent the cops after her, not to come after her himself and to tell her she’d run scared after having a night with him. On top of that, he’d shown up looking pretty remarkably handsome. Instead of turning her over to the police like she’d expected, he’d been trying to lure her back. “Waking up alone in bed, naked and ashamed of yourself for falling for some woman’s scheme. Did you build all these preconceived notions of what the morning would be like when you woke up only to have them shattered?” Scarlett had clearly struck a nerve.

Tony _had_ expected her to be in bed with him when he’d got up that morning. He’d expected to hold her and kiss her and go for a second round of what they’d enjoyed the night before and instead he’d woken up to this nightmare. Was this what he put women through over and over again through the years? Feeling used and more alone than they had before giving up their bodies to him in the night? His eyes flashed dangerously and he grabbed for Scarlett’s wrist. She dodged his sloppy grab and took another step away from him. Letting him touch her was out of the question.

“That’s it isn’t it?” Scarlett egged him on, trying to push him to get angry with her.

“That’s _not_ it.” Tony stood his ground, too stubborn to admit what he was actually feeling.

“That’s it. You don’t like when the tables are turned do you?”

“Stop saying that, it’s not why I’m mad.” Tony was practically stomping his foot in anger like a child throwing a tantrum

“Then why are you so mad?”

“Because you put your grubby little spy hands all over my stuff!”

“Oh, you’re so full of shit.” Scarlett laughed but was taking no joy in what she was doing. She had to be hurtful to push him away. The sex had been nothing but that and a means to an end and it wasn’t the orgasm she’d been looking for. Though she had to admit, that had been a pleasant surprise.

“You didn’t use me!” Tony stomped his foot again and this time managed to grab her wrist in his frustration. “I saw you and you can hide behind this angry mask all you want but I _saw_ you last night and you _wanted_ me as much as I want you. You got goose bumps! You practically _screamed_ my name in pleasure.”

“Stop it.” Scarlett hadn’t expected him to fight back quite like that and tried to wriggle her wrist free from his so she could step away.

“When you came you saw stars.” Tony continued onward, tightening his grip on her wrist so she wouldn’t run.

“Stark, enough!”

“You left marks on my back because you couldn’t help yourself. You dug your nails into my skin because you had no other _choice_.” The anger in his eyes was mixed with something else that Scarlett couldn’t make out or perhaps was too afraid to define. 

“Tony, stop it!” Scarlett tugged her wrist away from his, her stomach reeling with guilt. Much to her surprise, a smile spread over Tony’s lips even if it was just for a twitch of a second. He needed to push her because he needed to know what she was lying about. Maybe she’d run away scared that morning. It was possible he’d never find out what she’d really done that night or why she’d done it, short of her being honest with him and that didn’t seem like it was in the cards.

“Get in the car.” Tony walked back to his Bugati and got into the driver’s seat without another word. Scarlett stood perplexed next to the Aston Martin as he walked away. She started toward the car she’d stolen after a long moment of hesitation. Tony rolled down the window to his Bugati and leaned his head out. “Wrong car.”

Scarlett walked back to the far more expensive Italian car and got into the passenger’s seat. Her stomach was reeling and she was completely exhausted. She’d considered not getting into the car with him but was too startled to truly fight.

“Jarvis?”

“Yes, Mr. Stark.”

“Auto pilot the Aston Martin behind us please.” Tony shifted the car into gear and then started back onto the desert highway. Scarlett stared out the window and contemplated her next move. What had she seen in Tony’s eyes when they were fighting? Had she played right into his hands instead of the other way around? What if she found what she was looking for when she went through those files? What if Tony already knew what she’d taken? She could be heading back into a trap and end up dead before she knew the truth.

At this point Scarlett was so mixed up that she wasn’t sure which would be worse: if Tony were innocent or guilty. If he was innocent then she’d done horrible things to hurt him and could’ve really ruined any chance she had at the many opportunities he’d offered her, not to mention the annoying tug that she was feeling in her heart strings. If he was guilty then she’d been fooled by his mask of kindness despite having known his intentions were impure from the get go. Not to mention there was that annoying tug again. 

What was wrong with her? Why did she have to develop these pesky feelings for the man who could potentially be responsible for her imprisonment and the death of her lover? That was the one thing she _wasn’t_ supposed to do in her line of work and she’d fallen prey to it.

Scarlett was starting to feel like she was stuck in some pesky romance film. Well she wasn’t going to roll over and swoon, not like the many women before her had done for Tony Stark.

The anger in the car was palpable. Tony was driving too fast and making dangerous merges left and right through traffic. Scarlett seemed to be able to ignore the rage he was exhibiting and didn’t seem worried about him crashing the car. The Aston Martin sped along more safely behind them, Jarvis clearly in control of that.

Tony had seen the surprise and panic she’d felt when he’d started to fight back. She’d expected it to be a one night stand for _him_. What if he’d been wrong about her motives from the very beginning? What if she was right and it _wasn’t_ about him for once? Maybe it was about _her._ He hated to admit it, but that made much more sense than anything else he could come up with. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to accuse her of what he was sure was true. Scarlett was scared. At least, that’s what he was guessing.

When the cars pulled into the garage and parked in their designated spots, Tony turned off the engine of the Bugati. As he turned to speak to Scarlett she got out of the car before he’d opened his mouth. Curiously peering at her through the windshield, he watched as she headed toward the door that would lead her back upstairs.

“I thought we were past this.” Tony opened the car door and leaned against the roof of his car.

“Past what?” Scarlett didn’t turn or stop walking away from him.

“You sneaking around and acting like a spy.” Tony folded his arms on the roof of the car and leaned his chin against them. His anger had faded considerably since he’d decided that the problem was with Scarlett and not with him. Of course, he was still on the defensive after what she’d done but he wasn’t exactly growling at her anymore.

“Oh, really? Because I thought that I was just going around destroying lives and stealing your stuff.” Scarlett rolled her eyes and continued toward the door but stopped when she couldn’t open it. It seemed as though the house no longer trusted her and it had good reason not to. Her heart sunk. She’d gotten what she wanted. She was all alone.

“That’s _not_ what I said.”

“It _is_ what you said which I still find funny because _you’re_ the one with the company that’s done way more bad than good over the years.” Scarlett leaned against the door and turned to face Tony. He didn’t respond but merely batted his eyelashes at her. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what? I was just looking at you. I can’t use anything _but_ my eyes to look at you. That request is ridiculous.”

“ _You’re_ ridiculous.” Scarlett shook her head. Despite how playful Tony suddenly was she could feel the tension in the room still hanging unpleasantly. She’d hurt him.

“Real mature, Scarlett.”

“What happened? You were ready to kill me out there.” Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

“I was, but not in the way you’re thinking.” Tony grinned and wiggled his eyebrows comically.

“God, you’re such a pig.” Scarlett sighed heavily and walked away from the door.

“What was the point of this? Breaking into Jarvis, turning him off, rifling through my things… stealing my car.”

“You have one of the most high tech computer systems on the planet, arguably the most high tech of them all and I needed to know if I could break it.” Scarlett lied and even as she spoke knew her answer wouldn’t be accepted.

“Why would you need to do that? Did I not tire you out enough last night? We could’ve kept going.”

“I did it because I _could._ ” Scarlett knew that Tony could see through her lies but it didn’t mean she had to come clean. Still, the guilt was kicked up far enough already and she was struggling to keep a straight face. She walked away from the door and leaned against the desk. The computer immediately locked itself and she laughed under her breath, but not in amusement.

“We both know that’s not true.” Tony tapped his fingers on the hood of his car as he walked around it. “I think you’re scared.”

“Scared of what?” Scarlett smiled, this time she _was_ amused. “Scared of you? Fat chance, Stark.”

“I think you were too scared of what would come next. I think you wanted to hurt me before I got the opportunity to hurt you.”

“ _I_ think you’re delusional and should possibly get checked for a concussion. Those robots through you around an awful lot last night.” Scarlett’s defenses kicked into high gear again. How could he read her like an open book?

“You want me to think that you’re some cold hearted bitch who did this for the sake of doing it and I don’t buy it. That’s not you.” Tony was slowly approaching the desk, he didn’t want to push her boundaries too quickly

“You want me to be a damsel in distress for you to save and I’m not that kind of girl. There’s nothing for you to save me from, _hero._ ” It seemed as though Tony knew the game she was playing and the pot shots she was trying to take weren’t working.

“I think you need to be saved.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, but not from those guys out there. You can handle them just fine.”

“Yes, I can. Trust me I’ve been doing this a long time Stark and I don’t need some asshole in armor to come and keep me safe from the big bad men with their big bad guns. I’ve dealt with way worse.”

“I think you need to be saved from yourself.” Pointing a finger at her knowingly, he folded his other arm across his chest.

“Wow, your hero complex is far worse than I thought.” Neither one of them had noticed the sound of the door opening at the other end of the room.

“Hero complex? I’m the one with the hero complex in this room? Who’s in denial now?”

“Denial? Do you think at all before you talk, because sometimes you come across as stupid.”

“Now you’re just taking cheap shots.”

“No, I think I already won here.”

“You won? What did you win exactly? I _saved_ you from dying out in the desert and I brought you back here to safety. Yeah, I’ve been a complete dick since the moment we met I’ll admit that. But I showed you hospitality, I took care of you and you trusted me and that bothers you. I fed you, I clothed you, and I took care of you and you still think this is a game?” Tony’s face finally turned to anger again.

“What do you want me to do? Why don’t you leave me a bill for your damn services? How much do you think last night was? A hundred bucks maybe?” Scarlett was gritting her teeth.

“Two hundred at least.” Tony’s amused smile had faded entirely. “Is this _really_ a game to you Scarlett?”

“Tell me that it isn’t to you! You’ve been trying to get me undressed since I woke up and you’re saying this _wasn’t_ a game? You’re just mad because I did to you what you do to women all the time. And to make matters worse, I did it better than you.”

“This is _not_ what I do.” Tony clenched his fists.

“It’s not? What part of making women feel like cheap sluts and then tossing them out on the curb like garbage isn’t like what I did to you? Are you _hurt_ , Tony? Can you even _be_ hurt? Do you feel anything when it comes to sex anymore? Anything at all? Or did you just make yourself so numb to it that you’re more upset that I took control of your computer than used you?” Scarlett practically snarled at Tony who was surprised to hear the hurt in her voice. Why was _she_ the one who sounded hurt when he’d been the one who had woken up alone in bed? Was that what she truly thought about him? Those last few words had turned the dagger in his back and made him lash out.

“You’re right! I don’t feel a _damn_ thing. You’re just another easy bitch I wanted to take advantage of. You think that because you waited a handful of days to give it up to me it makes you any better than the rest of the women before you?” Tony slammed his hands down on the desk he’d approached without realizing it.

“I think that you’re trying desperately to turn this around so you don’t have to admit that I got the better of you when you hoped it’d be more than what it actually was.” Scarlett felt numbed and hollow.

“You did _not_ get the better of me! You’re _wrong._ The only thing you took advantage of was my hospitality. If you hadn’t walked out of my bed I would’ve thrown you out like trash the next morning. You were _nothing_! It _meant_ nothing!”

“Well, I’m _sorry_ then. Is that what you want to hear, Stark? I’m sorry that I was just like everyone else.”

“You’re sorry for the wrong reasons.” Tony shook his head, doubting she was sorry for anything that she’d done.

“Excuse me.” Pepper interrupted in a meager voice, forcing Tony and Scarlett to turn their attention to the woman at the other end of the room. She was scowling disapprovingly at Scarlett with her arms folded over her chest. Initially she’d wanted to find out what the hell happened when the house had been shut down, but their fighting had painted a pretty clear picture for her. “Tony, I have some paperwork from Nick Fury that you need to sign and take a look at.”

“Not now Pepper.”

“I think it’s important.” Pepper didn’t look away from Scarlett.

“I said not now!” Tony yelled which surprised Pepper entirely. The redhead looked at her boss, then at the woman sitting across the room and then left while shaking her head and muttering something about trusting the wrong people. Left in the tense and awkward silence between them Scarlett and Tony didn’t make a move to talk or leave the room. Tony yelling at Pepper had been the first real sign of anger he’d shown since they’d gotten back to his home.

“If you’re that upset then I should leave. I’ve overstayed my welcome.” Scarlett finally broke the awkward silence in the room. Neither one of them believed what the other had said was true but the words had stung nonetheless. 

What it came down to was that relationships, of any kind, were complicated and two people who weren’t used to having them were bound to spit words before admitting they were wrong or actually sorry for the wrongs they’d committed.

Maybe Tony _should_ kick her out. It would put an end to the madness that had erupted in his head ever since he’d laid eyes on her. There would be no more confusing and conflicting emotions about her if she left. Better yet, he could call the police and report what she’d done. He was sure that once she was arrested and her history was brought to light she would spend more than a lifetime in prison. She’d told him personal and damning information, he could use it against her if he had to.

Then again, if he let her leave he might never be able to track MedCo down without her insider information. He was sure that MedCo wasn’t going to stop pursuing her either so he’d have her blood on his hands in the long run if she was captured and he was sure she would inevitably be taken down by them. No matter how strong or stubborn she was, she was horribly outnumbered in the battle she’d found herself the center of.

“I do owe you.” Scarlett shook her head when he didn’t respond to her. She hadn’t expected anything to hurt this much. Emotionally she’d never been quite this torn before in her life and wasn’t sure how to handle it. How she had ever expected this to be easy was beyond her. Playing with fire and getting burned was one thing but wanting to jump back into the flames was another. Maybe Tony had been right and she needed to be saved from her herself. “I’ll pay you back for everything you’ve given me. If I can just… get the things you found me with I’ll go. You won’t hear from me again other than to return what I owe you. I don’t have my bank card or anything on me anymore and it’s not in this country anyway.” Scarlett pushed her hand through her hair, finding herself rambling on about what to do next. She needed a computer. That had to be what she kept thinking of. At this point, she was avoiding having a nervous breakdown and couldn’t begin thinking about her next move.

“No.” Tony shook his head and exhaled deeply. “Scarlett, cut it out. You’re not going anywhere.”

“I don’t want to stay here.” Scarlett had spoken before she’d thought and hung her head. Was that really what she wanted to do? Was revenge for Scott worth what she was suffering through? She wasn’t sure it was worth what she was putting Tony through even if he was behind the entire ordeal.

“You signed a contract.” Tony walked over to the door that led upstairs and nodded toward it. “You’re my partner now for this project we started, remember? If you want to break that contract it’s going to be a ton of legal trouble so… you’re stuck here either way. If you want to leave then I’ll hire some lawyers.”

“Stark…” Scarlett started. She’d been expecting him to throw her out, but as she was finding out Tony wasn’t exactly what she had expected.

“Besides, I know you didn’t mean any of that garbage.” Tony forced a confident smile to mask the confusion in his thoughts.

“What?” Dumbfounded, Scarlett merely stared stupidly at him.

“It wasn’t like that for you. It wasn’t a game you were playing.” Tony started up the stairs and didn’t turn back to face her, afraid of what he’d see. “Trust me I’ve been doing this for years and I know what the game looks like. It wasn’t like that for you.” Clearing his throat, he continued on. “On the other hand, you did break through my security system and tamper with my files. You have lost your privileges here with Jarvis. As much as he likes you I don’t know what you’re up to because you won’t tell me. So you’re going to have to deal with me being annoyingly around you all the time in order to get anything done that requires clearance.”

“You want me to stay here after all that?”

“I told you, we have a contract.” Tony sighed and stopped on the staircase. Thinking carefully before he spoke again, he closed his eyes. “And it wasn’t a game for me either.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Scarlett hesitated and started toward the door that was being held open for her by Jarvis.

“You could, you know, confess what’s really going on and then let me carry you back upstairs to do things the right way.” Scarlett stopped on the stairs and shook her head, finally able to smile again. She’d get the proof she needed either condemning Tony or vindicating him but either way she’d confess the whole truth after she got it. “Nothing, huh?”

“Go upstairs, Stark.”

“I didn’t mean it about you being easy by the way. You’ve been _unbelievably_ hard.” Tony pouted but didn’t turn back around. “You could stand to be easier. It would be much more fun for the both of us.”

“I’m going to push you up there if you don’t move.” Scarlett was still surprised that he was trying to ease the tension between them.

“I like it when you take charge, remember?”

“I’m pleading the fifth on that one.” Scarlett pushed at his back but then stopped herself. “I can’t believe you’re letting me stay.”

“You know, after this week together Scarlett… you continue to be very interesting.”

“Together? Right, interesting.” Both Tony and Scarlett had a thousand things on their mind, but neither one of them had found resolution. Something had changed in the Stark Mansion but it hadn’t been what they’d expected it to be. Scarlett had expected Tony to treat her like dirt and Tony had expected her to lash out far worse than she had. Neither one of them had gotten what they’d wanted.

It was a delicate waiting game and they were almost to the end. Now all Scarlett needed was a computer of her own. She’d purchased some of the parts she’d need to build her own but hadn’t had time to get to the remaining stores on her list before Tony had shut down the car and cut her adventures short. She had very little money left from the cash she’d had on hand, so if she couldn’t buy the parts remaining, she’d have to get creative.

Still, progress was progress even if it was heartbreaking.


	30. When All Else Fails, Drink

Pepper had gone above and beyond to keep Tony and Scarlett busy over the next few days. She’d made it clear that Scarlett had drawn the line in the sand between them and Pepper was keeping her far behind it to protect her friend. When it came between the strange woman and her boss, Pepper would choose her boss’ side every time. Though, Pepper didn’t quite understand what had transpired between the two because no matter how often she asked or pressed for details, Tony wouldn’t confess the entire truth so her opinion wasn’t based entirely on fact. Whatever had happened, he was avoiding talking or thinking about it and Pepper didn’t think this was very healthy and reminded him on a daily basis.

It was mid-afternoon on a Thursday and Tony and Scarlett were back at the Stark Industries facility in the middle of the California desert to continue their work. They had spent the last few days rebuilding and redesigning the element creation process. Now that they’d had real time to buckle down on the project without complications from Scarlett’s leg, which was well on its way to healing once it had been properly taken care of, or attacks from the people pursuing them from MedCo the project was well underway.

The relationship between Tony and Scarlett had seemingly returned to the normal flirtatious atmosphere they’d created upon first meeting. Despite them having been able to patch things up enough to work and play together there was still the underlying stressful tension created by the incident in the desert a few days prior. Tony continued to make sexual advances on Scarlett but the hesitation he’d felt initially was back and for entirely new reasons.

Of course, he’d also been burned by the first person he’d been willing to share his bed with for more than a romp and that wound was still healing. Scarlett on the other hand was withdrawing mentally with continued conflict. She hadn’t been able to sleep for more than an hour at a time in days, as Jarvis had let Tony in on. Not to mention, Tony had taken to watching the cameras in her room when she wasn’t awake just in case she was up to something. Or at least that was what he was telling himself was the reason for his voyeurism.

Scarlett was trying to keep her emotional distance from Tony until she had the chance to assemble her computer. She was almost finished putting together a laptop for herself but she required a few items that she hadn’t had time to pick up on her own. Since Pepper had been keeping them so busy, Scarlett had barely had time to think nonetheless go shopping. And since she no longer had access to Jarvis in any way, shape, or form other than standard communication she couldn’t use him to place an order online without Tony’s permission. Without any of her personal belongings, Scarlett found it nearly impossible to operate without someone’s hand to hold and she was not the kind to rely on someone else’s guidance.

Not to mention she’d continued having nightmare after nightmare, each more violent than the last. That morning she’d woken up sick to her stomach and had spent a good hour in the bathroom dry heaving. If she didn’t get some proper sleep soon, Scarlett was worried that she was going to lose her mind along with her health.

Sitting beneath the long pipes that had been set up to send the energy beam toward the prism at the center of their laboratory, Scarlett was double checking to make sure the pipes were level and that they were air tight. The plans that Tony had originally created for the elemental creation center had been thrown together quickly and they had found the second day of building that they’d had to spend half the afternoon redesigning for safety issues. Scarlett had ideas on how to expedite the process and make the whole thing run more efficiently. Tony had been grateful to have her working with him on the project despite the emotional grief they’d continued to cause each other.

“Have you decided what you’re going to do about this yet?” Scarlett glanced over at Tony who was lying on his back beneath the mechanism at the other end of the room that would house the eventual element. They had designed it so that it would be properly contained without the assistance of a human hand the way Tony had initially explained. Stopping his fiddling with the wires above his head he rolled out from beneath the platform on his dolly.

Wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand and then sliding his protective goggles away from his eyes he glanced over at Scarlett. She was still too nervous to wear jeans even if she hadn’t admitted it openly, but he thought she looked in her element in a skirt. In fact, now that she’d been wearing them so often he couldn’t picture her in anything but skirts and dresses.

“What do you mean? Have I decided what about what? You have to be more specific Scarlett!” Tony furrowed his brow, though he had a pretty good idea as to what she was referring to. “Did I make a proposition about that desk over there? I feel like I’d remember something like that. Either way, yes I think I’ve considered it and we should go for it. No one comes and checks on us anymore anyway.”

“You know what I was talking about, smart ass.” Scarlett cocked her head to the side and pulled her hair tie away from her hair, only to fix it since it’d started to fall loose while she was working.

“You’re no fun.”

“I’m a lot of fun or you would’ve kicked me out a long time ago.”

“That’s true.” Tony considered this and smiled fondly at a memory that Scarlett was sure would come and bite her in the ass one day.

“So, have you or haven’t you decided what you’re going to do?” Scarlett leaned against one of the vibration proof platforms that had built against one of the pipes to keep it steady. While she was still at odds in general with Tony, she still wanted to know what he was going to decide on for the project she’d been hired to work on and his motives for doing so. His ultimate decision would say more about his character than anything up to this point had.

“Moral decisions aren’t my forte, obviously.” Absentmindedly licking his bottom lip, Tony cringed when he got a mouthful of salty sweat from his goatee and then stuck his tongue out in distress. “Deciding what the right thing is for the world is going to take more than a handful of days. Not to mention I’ve been otherwise occupied mentally.”

“Well, if you haven’t decided what you’re going to do yet then I have some bad news for you.” Scarlett started to get up from where she sat on the floor and dusted herself off.

“What? Are you quitting? Because we’ve been through that and you’re on contract. It’s a pretty big legal mess to try and get out of it. Pepper knows what she’s doing.” Tony got up and threw the goggles away from his face haphazardly. “And if you’re about to strip then I suggest you stop calling that bad news because that… that sounds like an answer to a prayer.”

“I didn’t take you for the religious type.” Scarlett had been wiping her hands on her tank top and rolled her eyes at Tony’s remark. Go figure that she’d show a little bit of her stomach in the process and he’d jump to conclusions.

“I’d worship at your altar any day.” Tony was practically wagging his tail in happiness that he’d found such a clever pun.

“I apologize for walking into that one.”

“You shouldn’t, I enjoyed every second of it.” Tony pulled a rag from his pocket and wiped at his face. “So what was the bad news? Clearly you’re not getting naked.”

“We can’t move on here until you’ve made a decision.” Scarlett held up her hands when Tony went to object. “We’ve calibrated and recalibrated this machine three times now. There’s nothing left to do. But… don’t rush the decision, okay?” Scarlett glanced away from Tony’s eyes. When she looked at him for too long she felt guilty and it was a tough feeling to shake. He’d put his defenses back up after she’d deceived him and she could feel it in his body language.

“I didn’t plan on it. Does that mean we get to grab lunch because we finished early?” Tony’s eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead.

“It’s three in the afternoon.” Scarlett walked over to him and stole the rag from his hands so she could wipe her own off.

“Don’t sell that thing on EBay. I mean, I guess you _could_ but I’ll know it’s you selling it and expect a portion of the profits. And who cares what time it is? We didn’t eat lunch so we should have a late lunch.” Tony followed her and pointed at the rag in her hand.

“I’m not hungry.” Scarlett swatted him with the rag and then draped it over his shoulder before walking away from him to tidy up her work space. “I actually have a request and no, it has very little to do with being naked so don’t start okay?”

“How come you never want to do anything that involves being naked?” Tony pouted, following Scarlett toward the door.

“Because you’d enjoy it too much.” Scarlett peeked at him over her shoulder then sighed in exasperation as he pulled the hair tie away from her hair and it fell around her shoulders. This had become such a regular occurrence that she didn’t comment on it much when it happened, just rectified it.

“Don’t sigh at me.”

“I’ll stop sighing at you when you stop pulling my hair down.”

“Stop putting it up and I’ll stop pulling it down. It’s simple math.” Tony shrugged and spoke simply, starting into the hallway.

“That would just be rewarding you for your bad behavior. Someone has to at least try to put a stop to it.” Scarlett slipped her hair back into a spare hair tie she’d started to carry around on her wrist simply because Tony had taken to pulling her hair down while she was working so often.

“I’m not a puppy, you can’t train me.” Tony pouted when she pulled her hair back up again. He didn’t know why it bothered him so much. He just needed to pull her hair down.

“Look, the _only_ reason you get away with stuff like this is because no one took the time to train you.” Scarlett couldn’t help but smile as she spoke.

“Train _me?_ Who says I can’t train _you_ to deal with the way I behave?” It was absolutely absurd, but Tony had to fight her on it.

“I’m stubborn.” She swatted Tony’s hand quickly away from her hair as he made another attempt for the new hair tie. “You know, I very rarely get to the point of what I’m trying to say thanks to you.”

“I always get what I want Scarlett.”

“That’s not what I hear.” Tony stopped walking and pouted dramatically at her, his big brown eyes much like a wounded puppy’s.

“That’s not very nice.”

“You started it.” Scarlett walked to the staircase at the end of the hallway but turned when Tony didn’t’ follow her. “So, are you still mad at me from the other day or would you be willing to help me with something?”

“It depends on what that something is.” Tony didn’t directly answer the question but did join Scarlett on the stairs.

“I picked up some pieces to build a laptop for myself while I was out that day. I know you told me I could use your computers but we’ve been through the reasons why I don’t want to.” Starting up the stairs with Tony at her side, Scarlett chose her words carefully. They’d already argued about her privacy on several occasions and she wasn’t prepared to have yet _another_ fight about it. Pepper had once been on her side on the topic but ever since Scarlett had proved what a threat she could be, Pepper had sided with Tony for every argument and wanted him to take even more extreme measures than was necessary.

“What, you don’t know how to build a computer on your own?” Tony mocked while he walked up the stairs.

“Let me finish.” Scarlett pointed a finger at him which he subsequently tried to snatch from her. “I wasn’t able to get everything I needed before you stopped the car that day so I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind stopping somewhere so I could get some things to finish up my laptop.”

“I have everything you could possibly dream of at home. I can help you _and_ we don’t have to stop.”

“I don’t want to be hooked up to Jarvis or your security system.” Scarlett reminded him as they walked to the main floor and started down the hall toward the front door of the building. Waiting outside for them was Happy who was waiting near the car he’d pulled around for them.

“I know.” Tony nodded his head. “I’ve given it some thought and I don’t want to know what you’re doing on it. And if I change my mind, I’m sure I can just hack into it.”

“You really don’t want to know what I’m up to? Wow. I didn’t see that coming.”

“You’ve made it very clear that your business is your own, Scarlett.” Tony got into the back of the car that was waiting for them. Scarlett stood outside the door and felt a bite in his words. Things would never be the same between them at this rate. She wondered if being honest would even manage to fix things or if she’d forever be stuck in this awkward and painful shadow of what could’ve been between them. It wasn’t what she wanted for them, but she couldn’t bring her selfish wants into the picture either. But why couldn’t she? Happy smiled sympathetically at her and nodded toward the car.

“There’s water in there if you like, Miss Damien.” He seemed to realize that she was going through something extremely complex within her mind and was offering comfort in his own way. It was hard not to form a bond with him after how they’d fought side by side at the charity event.

“Thank you, Happy.” Scarlett patted the man’s arm and then got in the car after Tony. “So you’ll help me then?”

“I already told you I would, was I misleading?” Tony was playing on his phone again, messaging who Scarlett presumed was Pepper. He was clearly feeling as conflicted as she was every time they spoke. He’d let her into his arms too quickly and when he’d shown he was capable of being vulnerable she’d lashed out and wounded him. It was only natural that he kept safe from her claws until he knew she wouldn’t hurt him again. But he wondered as she sat next to him, if her claws had meant to lash out at him at all. If he could figure out what was happening in her mind, he wasn’t sure he would be so defensive. Tony couldn’t help her with what he didn’t understand.

“Okay. Thank you.” Scarlett nodded and took the water bottle that Happy had placed in the car for her. Awkward silence encompassed the ride back until Tony and Happy started discussing plans for the weekend and the days ahead. Scarlett kept quiet and watched out the window, lamenting over the things that had gone wrong in the last year. There was no time for her to feel bad about it or to have a pity party but things were definitely starting to build up. Her white tower was collapsing. Scott had always told her she couldn’t keep living the way she’d been for so many years and she’d kept insisting that things would be fine.

And then she’d almost died in Afghanistan and everything changed. From that moment on life had never been the same. Upon getting back to the Stark Mansion they walked into the laboratory and over to the black couch at the far end where there was a small kitchen and living area set up. Scarlett retrieved the pieces of the laptop she’d already assembled from her room and then joined Tony on the modern looking couch. He had pulled out a box of computer equipment for her to look through. After a few moments of awkward silence, Scarlett couldn’t take it anymore.

“Hey…” Scarlett had avoided calling Tony by his first _and_ last name ever since they fought. She wasn’t ready to call him Tony and calling him Stark only reminded her of the last time she’d called him Tony. Naturally, that was a touchy subject between them but she was guessing only because it hadn’t ended the way either of them had wanted it to. Since they had both wanted the same thing, it was hard to fight over.

“Hmm?” Tony was peering at what she was putting together, holding the next part they were going to assemble.

“I’m sorry, you know.” Scarlett didn’t look up from what she was doing. “I never wanted to hurt you.” Clearly Tony hadn’t expected this confession so he actually looked away and wiped his jaw for a moment before turning back to face her as if she’d said nothing meaningful at all.

“I’m Tony Stark. I can’t be hurt, remember?” Scarlett set down her tools and then held her head in her hands, sighing heavily. It stung to hear her words from days before coming back at her. Things she’d said in the heat of the moment that she hadn’t meant simply to try and build her defenses meant little to nothing in reality.

“We both know that’s not true.”

“It’s okay. You were right. I don’t feel a damn thing.” Tony tapped his knuckles against the reactor hidden beneath his shirt and avoided eye contact. While others may have thought he was joking, Scarlett heard the pain behind his words even though he was trying desperately to mask it.

“Just because you have a magnet in your chest doesn’t make you a machine.” Scarlett pulled his hand away from the reactor in his chest. “I really am sorry.” Desperately she wanted to tell him why she’d betrayed his trust but she couldn’t muster more than an apology. She was hoping that this laptop was the last piece of the puzzle before she could make out the entire picture of what had happened to her in Africa. Tony was surprised she’d grabbed onto him like that, considering he’d instigated most of the physical contact they’d shared in the days prior.

Pulling his hand away, but not because he didn’t want her to touch him, he brushed his thumb against her cheek gently. Scarlett closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. Why couldn’t she tell him that this was exactly what she wanted? Even if she was right about what Tony had done, he made her feel butterflies and see sparks. Didn’t she deserve that? That was where Scarlett truly got stuck. There was clearly some sort of turmoil going on within the strong woman on Tony’s couch. For the first time since he’d met her Scarlett seemed fragile.

“I’ll accept your apology when you’re finally honest with me.” Tony wondered if maybe he could finally get her to talk and explain what was going on behind the scenes in her mind. If he could find out the truth behind her actions then they could both finally move on. Until she spoke, they’d be stuck in limbo. Tilting Scarlett’s head up with his index finger he urged her closer.

“Tony, are you ready?” Pepper walked into the lab, checking her phone as she did and then sighed heavily when she saw the two over in the corner. It clearly displeased her to see that Tony was still making moves on a woman who had caused him such grief. “You’re not even dressed. _Again._ Do I have to start following you around all the time again? Because I can do that but you’re going to _hate_ every second of it.”

“What are you talking about, Potts?” Tony sighed in annoyance once again. He really thought her interruptions were going to stop since he’d already managed to get laid, but this was simply becoming ridiculous. “Where am I supposed to be and why are you so grumpy? It’s okay to be laid back for a few seconds you know. Particularly since you work for me, you’d think that would be incentive to take a break. You’re going to give yourself an aneurysm.”

“And I’m going to name it Tony. You have a dinner tonight with the energy company in New York, remember? They want to talk to you about the tests you want to run for your new clean energy source. We set it up months ago when you started on this little project, if you’ll just use your brain for a few seconds. It’s important to establish he parameters, is what you said if I recall.”

“New York?” Scarlett cocked her head to the side curiously. If Tony lived in California, why would he be looking to run tests in New York?

“I forgot about that.” Tony sighed and then glanced back at Scarlett to address her inquisition. “I’ve been looking into doing more work on the east coast again. I started there since that’s where I was raised and eventually moved out west. But it’s hard not to fall back in love with Manhattan once you go there. It’s like going home.” Shrugging his shoulders, Tony got up. “Can I reschedule to tomorrow? You’re right, I’m not dressed for this.”

“They’re probably already on their way to the restaurant Tony and they took a six hour flight to get here.” Pepper sounded irritated at the notion. “You _have_ to go.”

“I don’t suppose you want to come with me.” Tony glanced down at Scarlett who immediately shook her head in objection.

“You saw what happened the last two times I went out to dinner with you.” Scarlett grumbled under her breath. “I would prefer to keep people out of trouble this time. I do have just one request since you’re going to essentially put the house on lockdown when you leave so I can’t do anything stupid.”

“What’s that?” Pepper echoed Tony’s sentiment which resulted in Tony glancing over his shoulder at her and pursing his lips in annoyance.

“Tell Jarvis that I can leave for a little bit on my own accord? I’m not going to go very far but I’d like to maybe take a walk or try to get my identity back. I have to start sometime, right? I’ll never be able to pay you back if I can’t get into my accounts.”

“I don’t know if that’s the best idea.” Pepper seemed skeptical while Tony was musing over the idea of it.

“Jarvis, if Scarlett wants to go out you can let her use the Aston Martin she already defiled.” Tony glanced back at Scarlett and away from Pepper’s judging gaze. “Just don’t drive to Vegas or do anything stupid.”

“It’d be rude of me to go there without you.” Scarlett smiled just a little, still surprised by the amount of annoyance Pepper was sending her way. Tony chuckled and then started out of the lab without saying goodbye, Pepper leaving behind him after staring at Scarlett for a good few moments with contempt in her gaze.

Scarlett had never been alone in the Stark Mansion before of her own accord, other than the night where she’d shut off Jarvis and gotten into this mess in the first place. That first night didn’t count, considering Tony had practically locked her up in the guest room. 

Spending another hour putting the finishing touches on her laptop and then loading the software necessary for it to run, Scarlett then carried the machine upstairs to the room she’d been allotted. The rest of the house was off limits to her and she was told to treat it like a hotel since she’d broken the bond of trust between her and Tony. Despite it all, Scarlett still thought that Jarvis trusted her or at least wanted to, if a computer could function that way. Maybe he understood more than he’d let on, but then again he was simply a machine and acted the way he was programmed to act.

Digging around in the drawer where she kept her socks, since she was sure that if Tony were to dig through any of her drawers it would be the one with her unmentionables, she pulled out the pen drive she’d stored the information on.

It was the real moment of truth at long last. 

Scarlett sat down on the floor next to the bed and set the pen drive down on top of the laptop and stared at it. Did she really want to do this? There would be no turning back after she finally unlocked the secrets hidden within Tony Stark’s computer systems. If he was behind Scott’s murder, the underhanded weapons development, and her captivity there would be traces of MedCo’s existence on her pen drive. Even if Tony had made attempts to erase the information or encrypt in the rare event she got into his systems, she would find traces of it. Any communications made with the people who ran the company or the orders she’d been given would be a dead giveaway.

This was one of the things that Scarlett found she was best at. Finding evidence against people who thought they were untouchable. Tony had the biggest immortality complex Scarlett had encountered in a long time, so she wouldn’t put it past him to assume he was above detection in whatever underhanded dealings he’d been involved in. Part of her was afraid of what she’d find while the other knew she had to do it to put an end to the madness she’d created one way or another. The truth would set her free, so to speak. Then again she wasn’t sure it was freedom she would find on that pen drive.

Scooping up the pen drive at long last, she pulled the protective cap off of it and plugged it into the USB on the side of the laptop. Tapping her fingers nervously against the body of the laptop, Scarlett furrowed her brow while the computer read through the large files and prepared them to be opened. Time was indeed relative. 

Finally the window popped up onto the screen allowing Scarlett to browse at long last. Sitting with the computer screen tilted slightly downward so that Jarvis’ cameras wouldn’t be able to spy on her properly, she started her search for anything that involved her, MedCo, underhanded weapons deals, unauthorized biological research or Scott. At first Scarlett had found the disturbing things she’d expected to find, like an absurd amount of tabloid gossip columns saved to memory and awkward porn in Tony’s search history. It seemed very typical and uninteresting to her. She didn’t want to look at most of his unfinished projects if they didn’t involve MedCo. His ideas were his own and she had no desire to steal them from him. She had plenty of her own to satisfy her curiosities.

An hour into searching, Scarlett found MedCo files amongst energy research and her heart dropped into her stomach. Scanning over them and absorbing every detail she could find, she discovered what she partially already knew from what Tony had revealed. Looking away from the screen, her stomach turned with unease.

Tony had been going through old files from something called Sector Sixteen within Stark Industries that had been stored away in the business computers. Within it was a list of dirty dealings that had been done behind his back and then locked away and marked as a classified project so he wouldn’t investigate it further. Many of the names on the list of corporations that had done business with one of the former corporate heads had been crossed out, but along with a few others MedCo was written in red, and circled next to several transactions completed by an unnamed buyer. It was the only name in the long list that didn’t have any contact information available or records of purchase.

Continuing to browse through the files that followed, Scarlett discovered that Tony had been attempting to track down MedCo for nearly a year since he’d uncovered the common link between the unnamed sellers. He’d followed several seemingly successful leads but each had eventually ended up being cut off abruptly, or leading him on a wild goose chase and wasting his time. 

Clicking through the files hungry for more information she found satellite photographs of the building where she’d been held hostage, labeled with the date before she’d been rescued from the facility. If those were accurate, it meant that Tony didn’t know about the building at all until that morning. Wiping the hair away from her face, she continued to find mission logs of Tony’s attempts to stop those who had been using his weapons without his permission. There had even been attempts to flush out anyone who may have still been communicating with these less than reputable companies from within Stark Industries to no avail. It seemed that Tony suspected that there had been other links to these companies besides Obadiah Stane.

Scarlett had seen enough to know that Tony hadn’t been lying to her. Urging the mouse to the corner of the window to shut off the computer, she stopped when something caught her eye in the mass of text on the screen. 

Her name was there near the bottom of the page she’d stopped reading on. Deciding she’d take a risk, Scarlett continued scrolling through the files looking for more information pertaining to her. Much to her surprise, there was more stored within Tony files about her than she’d expected. There was the search history from his browser from when he’d tried to discover more about her, a file with her fingerprints as well as records of her health from when Tony had first found her in the desert. But then there were photos stored in folders as well, each dated from when they were taken by Jarvis.

At first she found that they were just photos of the wounds she’d sustained in the explosions and their progress but then later on there were pictures of her simply around the house when she was alone. Naturally, she’d jump to the conclusion that Tony had been spying on her to make sure she wasn’t doing anything she wasn’t supposed to be doing. But that suspicion quickly faded when she realized the photos were simply stills of her either sleeping or smiling. The last photo on record of when she was awake was when she’d been seated in his lap and cleaning his wounds in the living room. There was a small series of them, like he’d been trying to capture the memory of that moment they’d shared. The photos of a later date seemed all to be of her looking upset or sleeping.

Scarlett slammed the computer screen closed and pushed it far away from her as though it’d snapped at her fingers when she’d been typing. Tony Stark was innocent of at least the crimes that had been committed against _her._ But he was guilty of something that Scarlett wasn’t sure she could wrap her mind around quite yet. Her chest was aching again and she was finding it hard to breathe. The same panic she’d felt in the Stark Industries facility where she’d been working with Tony was creeping into her body again.

Head in her hands and breathing in quick, short bursts she barely heard Jarvis as he spoke to her. How long had she blamed Tony for something that had never been his fault in the first place? In captivity she’d longed to see his legacy destroyed and him in as much misery as she was sure Scott had suffered through. She’d stayed alive and kept planning her escape under the impression she’d be able to find justice only to realize she’d lived for a lie.

She’d too quickly put the blame on a man who was guilty of nothing other than offering her sanctuary and kindness. For nearly two weeks she’d been accusing him of selfish motives and dirty dealings when he’d been trying so desperately to prove to her his innocence. Even after she’d been so terrible to him he’d still gone out of his way to show her his intentions when he had nothing to prove to her. He could’ve thrown her out on the street and told her to go to hell after what she’d done but he’d only continued to try and find reasons to trust her.

Then there were the pictures. At first they’d made sense but the later ones seemed more like sentiment. Shaking her head and gripping her hair she jumped to life when she heard the sound of Jarvis, much louder than before, breaking through her agonizing thoughts. What was happening within the confines of her mind was torturing her.

“Miss Damien, I’m detecting a drastic spike in your heart rate. Should I call a doctor for you?”

“No.” Scarlett got up from her spot on the floor and kicked the laptop beneath the bed without bothering to look at it further. She had all the proof she needed but now what would she do? There had to be a way to calm her nerves and stop her panic without Tony to help her. It had been easy enough to contemplate getting to this point but now that she was here she had no idea where to go next. No matter how many times she’d tried to prepare for the fact that Tony might not be guilty of the crimes she’d accused him of within her mind, she’d always expected him to be the man behind the mask. Now instead she was left with more questions than answers and no clear cut way to go.

Rational thinking was helping her calm down, if nothing else. As far as she could tell there were only two options left for her. One was to team up with Tony, if he would have her, but that would require putting him in danger to fight her battles. She knew he was Iron Man but after watching what had happened at the charity event the other night, she didn’t want to responsible for more blood on her hands. Besides, what had happened to her was _her_ battle to wage not his. That left only one option for her and that was to tell Tony the truth, because she owed him that, and then to pursue MedCo like she would on a job. They’d be her next target and possibly her last.

Whatever the end result, she would’ve done the right thing and could clear her conscience of that at least. The idea of leaving Tony made her sick to her stomach. Of all the things to panic about, why was that the thing that was getting to her? 

“Is there something I can do for you? Should I contact Miss Potts?” Jarvis still sounded concerned, even if he hadn’t been programmed to feel such a thing.

“No, Jarvis. I just need some fresh air. Would you mind opening the garage for me?” Scarlett choked out, her voice clearly sounding strained. She’d even deceived the house computer in her mad quest for truth. Everything she touched she destroyed. Her life was never meant to be lived in a mansion in Malibu. There was no home for her, only the next mission.

But if that was the case then why did the idea of leaving make her so sick to her stomach?

“As you wish.” Scarlett didn’t bother to get cleaned up from the work she’d done with Tony and started toward the lab. She needed two things. One was to get out of the house and the other was to get _incredibly_ drunk. Alcohol was the only way she could think to deal with the panic that was destroying her insides. Decisions could be made in the morning, right now she needed to stop thinking or feeling anything.

Once downstairs and inside the Aston Martin she’d been allowed to use, the computer systems within the car came online. Scarlett programmed the GPS to take her to a low key bar in town. She didn’t want attention. She didn’t want to deal with anyone or anything. All she wanted was to drink and drown her sorrows.

A half an hour later she was sitting at a corner table in a bar with a tall glass of Jack Daniels, prepared to drink until she couldn’t see straight. 

An hour later and she was getting upset that the alcohol was not giving her the results she desired. Drinking was the only way she’d known to distract from the destructive thoughts in her mind in the past, if it didn’t work now, then what the hell would she do?

The bar was packed with people just getting out of work and looking to take the edge off just like she was though she doubted anyone was dealing with quite the same situation. Scarlett had expected to have a few drinks and for her worries to disappear entirely. In the past, after a hard job she’d go drinking, have a little fun with the people at the bar, play games and usually pick up some poor bastard who didn’t know better. But now everyone around her seemed like an enemy. Every man who looked her way had motives and secrets. Knowing someone was out to get her wasn’t the way that it used to be. She was used to taking risks, but the people she’d hurt in the last few weeks had made her think twice.

When her glass was once again emptied, Scarlett got to her feet, unsteadily at first, and was about to walk to the bar to get a refill. Even though paranoia and confusion were continuing to get the better of her, getting blitzed seemed like the only logical end to the night. Scarlett was nothing if committed. Before she moved too far from the table someone held a drink out for her.

“Saw you’re drinkin’ alone over here.” A handsome man with green eyes, long tied back but well kept brown hair and who had obviously had as many drinks as she had was smiling cunningly at her. “Couldn’t help but notice you. Pretty girl like you alone at a bar... Damn shame.” Scarlett sat back down at the table. She wasn’t one to turn down a free drink. But then again she wasn’t the type to mope in a dark corner of a bar either. It had been a confusing day. She’d always been the life of the party even on her bad days, but then again she’d never been through this particular sort of conflict before either. “Mind if I join ya?”

“I’d rather you didn’t actually.” Scarlett took a sip out of the drink she’d gotten from the man. She didn’t want to be bothered with flirts and drunks at the moment. Then again, she was at a _bar,_ what exactly had she expected to encounter?

“Come on now, I bought ya a drink. The least ya can do is let me keep ya company.” The man’s smile had faltered temporarily when she’d rejected him but it clearly hadn’t thrown him off his game too severely.

“I didn’t _make_ you buy me a drink. I appreciate the gesture, but no means no.” Scarlett peered over the top of her mug while she spoke before taking another long sip of the caramel colored alcohol. It burned as it went down as it always did. Why wasn’t it making her feel any better? It was starting to make her angry, if nothing else. But why was it making her angry? _Should_ she be angry given the circumstances? Scarlett didn’t know what she was supposed to feel anymore. She kept thinking about the photos she’d found in Tony’s files and what they could mean and it continued to tear her apart.

The sound of the chair scraping against the concrete ground of the bar made her cringe as the man who had bought her the drink she was sipping sat down next to her anyway. She had far more important things on her mind than some idiot in a bar.

“Listen, sweetheart. Once you get to know me you’ll realize you’re missing out and what kind of a man would I be if I deprived you of this opportunity?” He threw an arm around her shoulder which set off Scarlett’s already fragile nerves. It took all of her willpower not to grab the fingers that were creeping onto her shoulder and bend them backwards to break them.

Shrugging his hand off of her shoulder instead of breaking his fingers, Scarlett pushed the drink back toward him and shook her head.

“I don’t take drinks from men that come with conditions.” She did her best to sound uninviting.

“Come on,” he leaned closer to her, stale alcohol on his breath accompanied by whatever he’d had for dinner. Scarlett’s lip curled in disgust at the stench. “You’re lonely, I can tell. Sitting here all alone in the corner… You’re pretending you don’t want anyone to sit with you but I’ve seen girls like you before and it’s always the same story.”

“Oh really?” Scarlett scooted her chair away from the intruder at her table and waited expectantly for his next move. He had chosen the wrong woman to get involved with.

“Pretty, beautiful if she cleaned up a bit, waiting for someone to come and tell her just how lovely she is to brighten up her day. All you need is a little attention from a man like me. A pick me up, so to speak, and here I come to the rescue.”

“To the rescue, huh?” Scarlett sounded skeptical. “So I should be grateful?”

“Sure, because every woman whose alone in a bar getting a drink is waiting for someone to pick her up.” The woman seated at the table behind her with a few of her friends turned to argue with the man too. “I’m sure this young lady has nothing but how pretty she is on her mind.”

“You stay out of this.” The man didn’t even bother to look at the woman now addressing him.

“Honey, you can come and sit with us if this dirt bag is bothering you.” The woman spoke to Scarlett this time and she merely held her hand up to let the kind woman know that she had the situation under control.

“Don’t listen to those hags. They wouldn’t know a good time if it hit ‘em in the face. Ya know why they wouldn’t?” He spoke loudly and purposely so the women at the table next to them would hear him. “Because women who look like that don’t get men comin’ up to ‘em with free booze!”

“Look,” Scarlett narrowed her eyes at the surly man across from her. He’d been benign at first but now she was starting to get _really_ mad at him and to be honest she was already mad enough to hit him before he’d started making ridiculous and sexist accusations. “I’m not sure you know what you’re doing here with this whole sad attempt to pick me up. So, let me give you a few tips. When a woman tells you she doesn’t want your company you walk the hell away. I know how to think for myself and I don’t need you belittling my ability to choose whether or not I want your company. Secondly, if you’re going to insult the lovely woman next to me who was being far too kind to you, if you ask me, then you definitely lost your chances with any woman with half a brain in the entire bar.” The women who had spoken up along with several people around them were listening in, despite the loud chatter around them in the busy bar. 

“And finally, if you put your hands on me one more time you’re going to regret it. If you won’t leave me be, then I’ll find another table.” Scarlett got up from her seat and started to walk past him even though the room spun because she’d moved too quickly. She’d sit at the bar and get a drink there instead. People seated at the bar tended to be more fun anyway. Somehow she’d managed to attract the biggest creep in the bar it seemed. Not that it was the first time that she’d been hit on by a creep, but her nerves were already shot. Stumbling as she walked toward the bar, she nearly fell as the man grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him, his other hand going straight for her back side to give it a playful squeeze.

Before he had a word out of his mouth to defend his actions, Scarlett decked him square in the jaw. He let go of her and fell backwards into his chair, tripping over it and landing on the table which fell over thanks to the momentum of her blow. In an attempt to get up he knocked over another man who was carrying a tray of beer that splashed all over the ground.

From there Scarlett wasn’t sure how the chaos unfolded. The alcohol in her system made it far too hard to focus. Someone else threw a punch and then suddenly everyone was fighting and shouting, spilling alcohol and shoving people aside. Some people were trying to get out the door and away from the chaos while others were just sitting back and hoping to stay out of the way. Bartenders were yelling and trying to get things in order but the chaos had erupted too quickly for any chance of that.

Scarlett was dizzy. The last thing she wanted to do was to get into a fight in a bar but the creep hitting on her had just made her so irritated. She’d warned him and he’d decided to grab her ass anyway. It was amazing that men would try to play the same kind of game Tony would play but only he could somehow get away with his often terrible behavior. Why did it seem so appealing and endearing when he did it, but vile when another man had tried. 

Squeezing her way through the crowd, Scarlett made it as far as the bar before someone grabbed her arm to pull her back into the fray. Guessing it was the same creep who had made advances on her and ultimately caused the bar fight, Scarlett was more than ready to take another swing. If he was coming begging for more she’d be happy to be the one to show him what a lonely woman in a bar could do if provoked.

Before she got the chance to turn around, she was shoved against the bar, chest first. She wasn’t sure if it had been deliberate but she could smell the stale alcohol and bar food on his breath again and knew exactly who the culprit was. She elbowed him hard in the ribs and then grabbed the closest thing on the bar, which happened to be a beer bottle, and turned around to smash it right over his head. The bar around her went silent when she smashed the bottle.

Blind with anger, pent up frustration and alcohol she grabbed her attacker’s wrist and swung him around and shoved him hard against the bar the way that he’d done to her. Grabbing a fist full of his hair she practically snarled at him.

“What did I tell you, huh? I warned you! You keep your damn hands to yourself, you creep! Go ahead, try again! Let’s see just what I break next!” Scarlett didn’t realize the entire bar had stopped to watch her until she heard a glass drop behind her. Glancing around her and clenching her jaw, Scarlett grimaced. Still fueled by anger and disgust, she smashed the man’s head against the bar, not hard enough to knock him out, but enough to give him a headache the next day at the very least.

Letting go of the man now trembling in fear, Scarlett stepped away from the bar only to see the crowd of onlookers back away from her in fear. Alcohol had not been her friend. Pulling a wad of cash out of her pocket, Scarlett threw it at the bartender and then slowly started to stumble out of the bar. The patrons made a path for her to get out of her way, afraid she’d lash out at them even if it was an irrational fear. Where would she go now? She couldn’t drive back to the Stark Mansion with that much alcohol in her system. Maybe she’d sleep in the Aston Martin if she could find it.

Once outside the bar Scarlett was surprised when men in navy blue police uniforms came from across the street and shouted at her. She should’ve seen it coming, but somehow hadn’t expected it.

“Freeze! Get down! Hands above your head!” They continued shouting orders at her, but they were essentially repeating the same things over and over.

“Damn.” Scarlett muttered. It hadn’t been the first time she’d gotten in trouble with the law due to drinking a little too much and she was certain it wouldn’t be her last. “What seems to be the problem, officer?” Scarlett cringed as she slurred her words. Of all the times for her drunkenness to rear its ugly head, it had to be in that particular sentence. From behind her in the bar noise erupted. The man whose nose she had apparently broken with that last smash against the bar came out the front door and pointed at her accusingly while blood dripped down his face.

Sighing heavily, Scarlett put her hands in the air above her and hung her head in misery. If nothing else, getting arrested would sober her up a bit. When the officer walked over to her and pulled her hands down and behind her back to put into handcuffs while they tried to decipher what actually happened inside the bar, Scarlett closed her eyes.

At least now she didn’t have to try to figure out where she was going to spend the night or how she was going to get home. Instead, she’d have to worry about lawyers and criminal charges.


	31. 31 The Ugly Truth

“This is quite the switch, isn’t it?” Tony gestured to the officer seated behind the front desk at the county jailhouse where he was now waiting to find out more about what had happened to Scarlett while he’d been out to dinner. The tight lipped, older woman behind the counter in a blue police uniform looked up at him in annoyance. Clearly this hadn’t been the first annoying comment he’d made in the last ten minutes. “I’m usually being _retrieved_ from the drunk tank by my assistant Pepper. But look at me now, I’m completely sober and picking someone _else_ up. It’s almost ironic but really just amusing…” Tony cocked a confident smirk but the woman seemed to find no amusement in what he was saying.

“Please be seated until someone calls you, Mr. Stark. Don’t make me ask you again.”

“Tony.” He cleared his throat, and glanced down the hallway, clapping his hands together and then snapping his fingers to keep his hands busy.

The officer glanced at him again, signaling to him that she did not have the time or energy for his antics. Sighing heavily and rolling his eyes, bored with waiting to be addressed, Tony glanced down the hallway toward the barred door at the end of it that led upstairs. He’d been in the jailhouse several times before because of his less than reputable behavior over the years past and more recently during investigations but this was for a completely different reason than he ever would’ve predicted. Tony had never been the responsible party at a police station, at least not in this scenario.

Tony’s phone had buzzed annoyingly in his pocket near the end of his boring business dinner and when he’d initially gone to answer it, Pepper had urged him not to since the meal was nearly almost finished. While he tried to ignore it so that he could get through the meeting without seeming rude at Pepper’s behest, it eventually became impossible to go unnoticed and had started to grind on his nerves. Usually the only times that someone would persist so diligently to get his attention would be during an emergency situation. So, without consulting his assistant, he excused himself from the table to take the call.

Getting up from the table Tony then walked into the hallway, feeling Pepper’s judgmental gaze on the back of his head. When he picked up the phone, he found it was Jarvis trying to urgently reach him. His car had been found in the parking lot of some bar and an unnamed woman had been very insistent about it being returned to him promptly instead of being sent to the impound where some thug would have likely broken into it or taken it for a joyride. Tony could only guess that the insistent woman had been Scarlett, considering she was the only person granted permission to take a car from his home.

When he’d further inquired about what had happened to the woman driving the car, he’d been told she’d been arrested. Tony was torn between worry, annoyance and amusement at the fact that he’d left for merely a few hours and Scarlett had gotten herself in enough trouble to be spotted by the law. At first he’d been worried that she’d been attacked by MedCo again and then when he’d realized she wouldn’t have called him to come and get his car if she’d been in that much trouble he’d settled down and thought about how amusing the situation could potentially be for him.

For someone who claimed _not_ to be a damsel in distress, she sure required a lot of saving. He guessed it was more complicated than that. Scarlett was caught in the middle of something and Tony simply happened to be there to help her pick up the pieces. In fact, he was sure that if he hadn’t been there for her she would’ve been long dead. In a way, she needed him as much as he needed her for information. At least this was what Tony was telling himself.

Twiddling his thumbs, quite literally, Tony paced the waiting room of the police station until he finally approached the counter again, too fidgety to sit and wait. It wasn’t like the officer could arrest him for being annoying, right?

“There’s no way that I could just go back there and talk to her? A Miss Scarlett Damien? You probably have her booked already… Tall, brunette, blue eyes, long legs I could go on but I doubt you’re interested unless you are then we could talk about that…”

“I know _who_ she is, Mr. Stark, but I’m afraid you have to speak with someone regarding her case before you can speak with her.”

“Her case? What exactly did she do to get in here anyway? No one’s told me a damn thing since I got here and I don’t have all day.”

“Her case is what you’re going to discuss with the detective.” The woman was still having none of his nonsense so Tony sighed and walked away, contemplating what might have happened. Clearly she hadn’t been in a car accident given the fact that his car was in excellent condition and he’d sent Pepper home with it while he handled her situation. Scarlett had never asked for him to come and talk to her or to come and get her at the police station but he’d insisted upon seeing her at the very least. Why wouldn’t she ask for help, though? He was the _only_ contact she had there in California and if she was in some kind of legal trouble why wouldn’t she contact him to come and help her out?

It was probably that whole damsel in distress complex she had again. What was so wrong with asking for a little help every now and then? There wasn’t a single person alive who was able to get by entirely on their own forever, particularly living a life as complicated as Scarlett’s, so why was she having so much trouble laying the cards on the table and showing him her hand? It was a question he’d ask her tonight once he had gotten her out of there.

A jail was no place for a lady to spend the night, especially considering that Tony wasn’t sure Scarlett would be above breaking out and at this point, he had every confidence that she could, considering what she’d done to his security system. That was not the kind of legal trouble that Tony could help take care of.

“Tony Stark?” He turned quickly at the sound of his name and approached the police detective who wore a grim look on his face. Behind the grim look, there sparkled something else, much like adoration.

“Guilty.” Tony hung his head and shook it apologetically, then held his hand out to shake.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“It really is, isn’t it?” Tony smiled slightly and the detective looked confused. “It’s just I’m not used to picking people up here. This is kind of a new experience for me.” The detective chuckled and nodded in understanding.

“I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’ve been to our fine facility.”

“Proud to say it’s not.” Tony followed the detective who led him into an adjoining room and offered him a seat next to one of the desks in the far corner. Still reluctant to get seated considering what he knew was waiting for him down the hall, Tony sat on the very edge of the chair offered to him. “So, what do I have to do to be able to take her home?”

“Home?” The detective looked surprised by his request as he sat down on the other side of the desk.

“Well, that’s complicated.” Tony pursed his lips. “Not in the way you’d think, if you saw her you’d think it’s very _not_ complicated but it really, _really_ is.”

“Mr. Stark, the charges are still being filed against her so she’s being held without bail until the morning.” The detective looked reluctant to inform Tony further. Most people were reluctant to give Tony bad news. He wasn’t the kind of man you wanted to disappoint, but even _he_ understood that some things were simply out of their control.

“What _are_ the charges against her anyway? That surly lady out front wouldn’t tell me a damn thing.”

“No one told you what happened?” The detective smiled this time and shrugged his shoulders, leaning back in his chair. Tony found it peculiar that he’d smile and was more curious than ever to know what Scarlett did.

“It can’t be _that_ bad if you’re giving me that look.” Tony cocked a curious eyebrow.

“She started a bar fight.”

“Wait, what?” Tony hadn’t quite expected that. Though he wasn’t sure _what_ he had been expecting. Given the records that he’d been able to find for her over the past few years when he’d initially looked her up he should’ve known that it would lead to something like this. The only time that she’d ever been arrested for anything on record was for drunken and disorderly conduct.

“Witnesses report that she was drinking heavily and when a man came to offer her a drink, she… Well, for lack of a better term, she kicked his ass.”

“That doesn’t sound like Scarlett. I mean it does kinda…” Tony grimaced. “I hit on her all the time and she has yet to kick _my_ ass.”

“Beg your pardon Mr. Stark, but you’re a different bag of worms than your regular run of the mill bar patron.”

“I don’t know why you’d try to pardon yourself for saying that, that was a damn compliment.” Tony pointed at the female detective walking by. “You hear that? I got a compliment from a detective. First time. I’m usually being called an ass, which in my book is also a compliment.”

“Mr. Stark, we have conflicting reports about what happened. As of right now the man she attacked is pressing charges but witness reports, including the word of a group of three women who were seated nearby and the bartender who had been watching the situation in case it got out of hand offer pretty substantial evidence that it was self defense. Though both admit that she took it further than necessary.”

“Is that so?” Tony leaned forward from the edge of his seat and fiddled with the nametag on the edge of the detective’s desk, not bothering to actually _read_ the name.

“From what I can tell, he was asking for it. The bartender was keeping an eye out because he was worried for her safety. Apparently this particular regular at the bar is known for harassing women and has been asked to leave on multiple occasions. There are several complaints on his record all from women. My guess is that in the long run he’s going to drop the charges against her.” The detective flipped through the police report papers, his tongue between his lips in thought.

“Well that’s good then. Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to get her out of here for the night so she doesn’t have to sleep here? I’m sure I could wake up a judge at this hour if necessary. I’m pretty persuasive.”

“I’m sure you could.” The detective chuckled. It was lucky that Tony got someone who was willing to deal with his catty and arrogant nature. Usually when he dealt with cops, they went out of their way to try and teach him a lesson given his reputation. “That being said, I can’t do much of anything for you at this particular moment. Without speaking to a judge, I’m afraid your lovely lady friend isn’t going anywhere.”

“Can I at least talk to her?” Tony sighed. He didn’t like hearing the word no, but knew that if Scarlett had to spend the night in jail then she’d brought it on herself. If she could at least explain her actions to him then he’d consider contacting a few friends and pulling a few strings to get her out for the night as long as he promised to keep an eye on her. 

“Of course.” The detective unbuttoned his jacket and then stood up and gestured toward the barred door at the end of the hall that Tony had been eyeing earlier.

“If you think the charges are going to be dropped, then why do you have to make a big _to do_ out of this?” Tony followed the detective down the hall, glancing at his surroundings and taking in as much as he could. He’d never made a point to notice much about the jail before but he could see that it was in various states of disrepair. If Scarlett was so inclined, she’d be out of there before midnight. Tony wasn’t okay with her staying in such poor conditions.

“Even if the charges are dropped, she created a scene inside that bar and on the street. It’s standard procedure to charge her with drunk and disorderly conduct. Reports say that the fight started with her even if it _was_ accidental. It’s likely she’ll be released after the hearing and ordered to pay a fine for damages to the bar and perhaps do some community service but still… we have to do things by the book.” The detective answered easily. He led Tony up several flights of stairs to the very top floor and then to some cells through a dark hallway. It was an eerie old jailhouse and it gave Tony a bad feeling. The lights were flickering like a scene from a horror movie. He then wondered if perhaps they had _filmed_ an old horror movie there and maybe that was why it felt so familiar.

“Right, I get that. Procedure and whatnot.” Tony waved his hand, peering into the cells curiously. Most of them were empty while some were filled with angry, tired, and drunk looking people awaiting either a hearing or to be sent off to a bigger prison in another county.

“Well, good luck with this one. She’s been pretty nonresponsive since we got her here. Hasn’t said a damn word outside of her name. Even when I asked her about the guy in the bar, she was quiet.”

“I hope she didn’t cause you too much trouble.” Tony glanced within the cell and found that Scarlett was facing away from him, sitting on the lone cot in the room and staring at the stone wall.

“She was unexpectedly incredibly cooperative.” The detective chuckled. “Though didn’t sound very friendly in the process.”

“That’s more than I got from her when we first met. Thanks.” Tony nodded and waited for the detective to unlock the cell before stepping inside. Once it was closed and locked behind him, Tony stared at Scarlett who made no move to even acknowledge him. Clearing his throat and loosening his tie, Tony walked around the cot and sat in front of her, legs hanging off the edge. She looked worse for wear to say the least. There were bags under her eyes, her hair was a mess, and she looked crankier and surlier than he’d ever seen her.

Trying to catch her eye, Tony was surprised when she turned her head away and continued to avoid his stare. He was even more surprised when she made no attempts to explain her behavior or apologize for what she’d done.

“So, what the hell compelled you to go get drunk and start a bar fight?” Finally, tired of waiting, Tony broke the silence. “Usually I’m the one getting hauled in here for some kind of obnoxious drunken trouble.” Scarlett looked up at him finally and sighed heavily. Swinging her legs off of the side of the cot she pushed her hair away from her face. She’d had a good few hours to sober up and since then her stomach had started reeling over what to do next. Either way, she had to deal with the charges she’d be up against considering the fight she’d caused and the damage it had done.

“Everything I thought I knew was a lie.” She didn’t choose her words carefully, there was no need to hide the truth from him anymore. That didn’t mean it would be easy for her to tell it though.

“This isn’t the matrix, if that’s what you’re implying.” Tony cracked a smile which faded slowly when Scarlett looked at him seriously. Had she _ever_ looked at him like that before? He wasn’t sure. Either way, it scared the hell out of him and he wanted her to stop. “What does that mean? Everything you knew is a lie? What exactly is a lie, Scarlett?”

“When things turned bad for me in South Africa it wasn’t right out of the blue like I told you it was.” Scarlett’s voice was quiet and cracking, not with emotion, but stress.

“What do you mean?” Tony reached to push her messy hair behind her ear but she leaned away from his touch. His heart sunk into his stomach and he pouted. What was going on inside her head? She felt too guilty to let him make such a kind gesture when he didn’t know the truth.

“I told you that I knew their motives were less medical and more militant because of the changes on the requirements for the limbs I was building.”

“Right.” Tony nodded. Her story had never entirely made sense and he’d been waiting for her to confess the truth. Was this really the time for her to do it? In a jail cell? “Look, Scarlett why don’t you let me make some calls then we can go talk about this at home while you sober up.”

“Home?” Scarlett looked skeptical. She didn’t have a home. “You’re not going to get me out of here.”

“I can make a call. It’ll take ten seconds. I did a favor for the mayor a few years ago and he owes me. I’m sure if I promise to take care of you until your hearing in the morning he’ll let you go.” Tony insisted, a smile back on his face.

“I don’t want you to do that.” Scarlett was feeling enough guilt as it was.

“It’s not a big deal Scarlett.”

“Tony, would you just shut up and _listen_ to me for a moment? Let me talk.” Scarlett snapped at him and this instantly shut Tony up. Not only had she called him by his first name, but she’d been so stern he felt compelled to obey. “I found out that they were manipulating me because I found correspondence from _you._ ” Scarlett finally spat out what she’d wanted to say. Tony looked confused and glanced at the floor. Instead of asking her what she meant, he let her continue on. He didn’t want to get snapped at again and he definitely wanted to know the truth. If he had to sit in a dingy old jail cell to hear it, he’d have to deal with it.

“I was becoming suspicious because of the changes that I told you about so I started prying around through MedCo’s systems. I found a memo on Stark letter head with a list of supplies and weapons delivered straight from your company and sent from you with your signature and everything. I compared it to others I found online and it didn’t look like a forgery.” Scarlett held up her hand when Tony went to object to this discovery. “I confronted the owners of MedCo… three of them and showed them what I’d found. They confessed that they were affiliated with you and that if they had to they’d bring you in to replace me if I stepped out of line.”

“Scarlett, I would never work with people like that.” At least now it made sense why Scarlett had accused him of such treacherous and vile things over the past few weeks. She’d been led to believe that he’d had something to do with MedCo. In fact, almost every objection she’d had with him was starting to make sense. But, if she thought he was a villain then why had she stayed with him?

“Let me finish, please.” Scarlett glanced down at her hands and at the bloody and sore looking spots on her knuckles from hitting the man who had come after her. She’d been sloppy in the bar. If she’d done her job the right way, she would’ve come out unscathed. But she had been emotionally compromised.

“Go ahead.” Tony sighed and then fidgeted in place.

“That friend I told you they used to keep me in check was my boyfriend, Scott Aaronson.” Tony visibly stiffened at the mention of a boyfriend. Why would he assume she hadn’t had one, given the circumstances? “They had him trapped with a gun to his head. What was I supposed to do? Let him die?”

“Were you two serious?” Tony interrupted, unable to keep his mouth shut.

“What?” Scarlett looked confused.

“You and Scott, were you serious?”

“Is that really important right now?”

“It is to me.”

“We were in a long term relationship.” Scarlett shrugged, unable to truly explain how thing were with Scott. She hadn’t seen the destruction in their relationship until she’d started remembering the darkness she’d pushed into the back of her mind. “It’s more complicated than that. He wanted me to settle down and I didn’t want that. There was never a real future with Scott. But that’s not really what matters right now.”

“Fine, continue.” Tony absorbed the information, but wondered if her prior hesitation had been because of the man that she’d been involved with.

“Thanks, I think.” Scarlett sighed, took a deep breath then prepared herself to continue on with her story. “The rest of what I told you was true. I worked to try to find a way to get out of there while keeping Scott safe. Even if it meant risking his life, I couldn’t build what they wanted me to build. It was one man’s life for the sake of how many thousand people? One man who I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be with and so I decided to try to escape regardless. When you came crashing into the building lasers first that day one of the three owners came to collect me for evacuation. 

“When they saw that I was up to something they assumed I was involved with whatever chaos you were causing. They ordered Scott to be killed before I could pull the trigger but you’ll be damn sure that I did afterward.” Tony glanced behind him to make sure that no one was within earshot to hear what she was saying about _killing_ someone. He looked appalled at the idea of it. The last place she should be making these confessions was in a police station. “He was threatening me, telling me about the awful things he would do and well… the only way out was to shoot. I can’t really remember most of it to be honest. I must have blocked it out. I realized that I do that a lot.” Scarlett moistened her lips.

Glancing up to see Tony’s response, she saw he was speechless for once. Scarlett couldn’t blame him. She’d allowed Scott to die and then killed another man even if it hadn’t been in cold blood it was more than a normal person wanted to hear. Erick’s death weighed on her conscience along with Scott’s but there was nothing she could have done to prevent it. She’d replayed the scenario a thousand times in her mind from what she could remember, trying to find another way out and it had never come. It was her or him and she knew the right thing to do and had done it. When she was certain Tony had nothing to add she continued.

“I woke up in your lab a few days later and I was beyond angry. I knew where I was, it was unmistakable even without Jarvis telling me that it was yours. No one has technology like you do. What was I going to do? Tony Stark, the man behind Scott’s murder and my imprisonment, not to mention the evils committed over the years by MedCo… and now he was responsible for saving my life.” Scarlett laughed and then wiped her hands over her lips nervously. “It was perfect.”

“What?” Tony stared, slack jawed. That wasn’t what he’d been expecting at all.

“Someone had to stop you.” Scarlett grimaced and finally looked back to Tony who looked hurt. His mind was racing and he was obviously contemplating what that meant and if everything she’d said and done had been a lie. “I thought by working with you and being close to you I could bring your castle crumbling down from the inside. If I could find proof of what you were doing with MedCo and expose you for the scumbag you really were then… that would be more than the revenge I required.”

Tony’s heart was aching in his chest. She’d been manipulating him and while he’d been suspecting it initially, it hurt to hear that she’d gone out of her way to cause him pain and had even wanted to see his entire empire fall.

“I didn’t mean to grow attached to you.” Scarlett shook her head. This was perhaps the hardest thing for her to admit. “In the beginning I didn’t like you and I was attracted to you for whatever messed up reason but god it became more than that so quickly, didn’t it? You weren’t the man the papers led me to believe you were.” Tony still had nothing to say to her so Scarlett continued before she lost her courage. “The more I found out about you the more I knew I had been wrong. I tried to keep my distance, you have no idea how hard I tried… God, it was a nightmare for me. The man responsible for Scott’s death, for the hell I went through when I was still recovering… and I was trying to justify your actions in my head so you’d be innocent.”

“When things started to really heat up between us, and they did quickly… even that first night at dinner, I started to doubt why I was there. I kept making up excuses for you to be guilty of the crimes I was accusing you of. On top of that I had to keep reminding myself that you were behind the evils I’d witnessed. Can you imagine that? Even though I thought you were a monster, I was still drawn to you.” Scarlett felt guilty, she felt sick, and now that all was said and done she wasn’t sure her apology would be enough to mend the wounds she’d created. There was no simple way to fix things the way she had hoped there would be.

“I started off wanting to find proof to condemn you Tony only to turn around and want to find a way to vindicate you.”

“Why didn’t you just ask me what the truth was?” Tony spoke quietly, the usual animation in his voice gone entirely. Every word was dripping with heartache.

“I could’ve and I thought about it but I never would have trusted your answer. Of course you’d tell me that you didn’t do anything even if you _were_ the guilty party. One thing I’ve learned in my years working off the radar is that people never want you to see the worst in them until they absolutely have to.” Turning to look out the small window to her cell Scarlett shook her head again, the sinking feeling in her stomach increasing as Tony remained silent.

“That’s why I broke into your computers. I just wanted to see if you were lying or if you were being honest with me. And I knew what I would find even if I was in denial. I found what you already told me and that was that you were looking for companies who had been given your weapons and found MedCo in the process. But I couldn’t just believe you on face value. If I had never looked then I would’ve been suspicious of you forever and I’m not sure why I couldn’t handle that.”

“So you were playing me the whole time. It was all a game?”

“No…” Scarlett furrowed her brow and responded quickly. “I thought that was what I was doing but I had a very hard time playing you which has never happened to me before. This usually is a game for me but it never was with you. Somehow I ended up being more honest with you than I was with myself and I’m sorry, Tony.” Closing her eyes she took deep and slow breaths to keep her emotions in check. Those were words she’d never meant more than she did now. “I’m so sorry. I dragged you into my mess. I put you and your friends in danger. I betrayed a trust that is obviously already very fragile and I’m really sorry. I don’t think I’ve ever been as sorry as I am now.” When Tony didn’t respond, Scarlett continued to explain her behavior. She couldn’t handle the silence.

“After I found out that you were being honest with me I didn’t really know what to do or how to react so… I became overwhelmed just like I did that day when I was in pain when we were working. I was panicking and I had to calm down. So I did the only thing I know how to do when things don’t go according to plan and that’s drink. It’s a pretty terrible habit as you can probably guess by my arrest record. I get in over my head, I drink until I can’t see and then I end up either causing a fight by being an ass or some poor sap gets too grabby and I flip out. Usually it helps me rid myself of the fog I was feeling afterward and I can move on but this wasn’t that simple.” Scarlett hoped to better explain herself. “Though I probably would’ve beaten the crap out of this guy even if I had been sober, he was a scumbag and deserved what he got.” Scarlett didn’t regret going after the man who had pushed his advances too far, only the severity she’d pushed it to.

“What do you expect me to do?” Tony wasn’t sure how to handle or deal with what he was being told. He knew that Scarlett had never revealed the entire truth to him before, but he had never really expected her to be out to get him from the beginning. Was everything she’d done a lie? How was he supposed to trust _her_ now that he knew the real story? How was he to know this _was_ , in fact, the real story. His head was spinning and somehow he knew there would be no resolution tonight.

“What?” Scarlett turned away from where she had been staring out the window and looked back to Tony at long last.

“You tell me that sob story and what do you expect me to do?”

“I don’t expect anything from you.” Scarlett shook her head. “I never wanted you to save me, Tony. I never would’ve asked you to do that. I just wanted you to know the truth because that is something you deserve more than anything. Enough people have lied to you in your life and I don’t want to be one of them even if it means never seeing you again because you can’t forgive me.” Swallowing hard, Scarlett looked back down at her feet. There was more to the feeling in the pit of her stomach than guilt. Was this what heartache felt like?

Tony stood up and dusted off his jacket. Scarlett didn’t look like the same woman he’d admired for the past couple weeks. There were pieces of her missing and he was surprised he hadn’t noticed that about her it until now. Taking a step backwards he turned toward the door.

“I have to think this over. Enjoy your night in jail.” Tony tapped on the bars to signal he was ready to leave without looking back at Scarlett. “Detective?”

“Goodnight, Tony.” Scarlett had given up on calling him anything other than his first name. When he walked away, the door slamming behind him and echoing throughout the jail, Scarlett laid down on the cot. The hurt Tony had felt was palpable and it was killing her. Go figure the only time she’d felt a connection to someone so strongly and she’d screwed it up before she’d even known it existed. Having cleared her conscience was supposed to make her feel better not worse. She had wanted to free Tony from the deceit she’d trapped him beneath and somehow had only succeeded in making the situation that much more painful. 

Closing her eyes in an attempt to sleep away the lingering remnants of alcohol fogging her mind, Scarlett tossed and turned. In and out of consciousness, she couldn’t seem to find rest and not for lack of trying. Her stomach was turning, upset from alcohol consumption and stress. There were footsteps on the other side of the jail cell door; she could hear them passing by and then stopping. She didn’t think much of it. Guards often roamed the halls of a large jail like this throughout the long night. 

But they didn’t often walk _into_ cells to check on their unwilling guests. The door creaked open and didn’t shut behind whoever had opened it. Scarlett sat up, slow to move thanks to the groggy feeling of sleep and too much alcohol.

Before she could turn to see who had come into her cell, a black bag was pulled over her head and obscured her vision. Immediately her instincts kicked in. Using the bed as leverage beneath her, Scarlett positioned herself on the cot and shoved hard at the person who had pulled the bag over her eyes. They both went tumbling to the cold stone floor.

Much to her annoyance her attacker kept the bag in his grip and pulled it tighter. More footsteps joined them in the room and Scarlett could guess that three more men had come to take her away. Of _course_ MedCo would come during the night to retrieve her. They’d easily be able to search for her since she’d been put into the system when she’d been booked.

Cursing and unable to gather her bearings with a black bag over her head, Scarlett elbowed behind her and hard. The man holding her lost his grip so Scarlett scrambled to her feet. Before she got to pull the black bag, which was unfortunately tied tightly and harder to remove than with a simple tug as she had hoped, she was grabbed and shoved against the wall. Ducking low against it was her first move, she guessed she’d be pushed again and was right.

Standing upright again, Scarlett ripped the bag off of her face and threw it at the man coming at her from the doorway. When another arm reached to grab her she pulled it hard, swung her attacker violently and threw him to the ground. Stepping on his chest she pulled his arm and heard it snap, dislocating his shoulder.

She was shoved back against the wall near the window that was a few feet above her. Reaching to grab the bars of the window, Scarlett scaled the wall and then wrapped her legs around the neck of the man pushing her there. When she didn’t have time to knock him out, instead she kicked him hard in the face and forced him away from her. Dropping onto him and using him to break her fall, she swung her fist hard into his face hard and broke his nose. Shaking out her hand and cursing from the pain of the sloppy hit, Scarlett jumped to her feet and made a mad dash for the door of the cell only to be grabbed by both arms and pulled back inside it.

Yelling and cursing while struggling to pull free, she let her left arm go slack and leaned heavily against the man holding her there and then kicked hard with her right foot to knock the second man holding her away. Much to her surprise, he held fast instead of falling and pulled her so her balance was lost. Grabbing onto her and pulling both hands behind her back, Scarlett was strapped and pushed back as hard as she could managing to knock them both onto the bed. Her shoulders tugged uncomfortably while her attacker didn’t relent on his grip. One of the other men threw the black bag over her head and tied it tighter than they had before, causing her to cough and choke.

Struggling to still get away, since it seemed more important than being able to see, Scarlett was surprised when she felt the pinch in the side of her neck. A needle was pressed into her flesh. She fought harder to fight against the needle but it was too late. It had already punctured her skin and whatever fluid had been inside the syringe was now flowing into her veins.

The liquid burned and forced her to slow her struggling and become sluggish and tired. Fighting against the natural reactions of whatever medicine had been administered was near impossible but Scarlett tried her damndest.

Grabbed underneath each arm, her attackers started to drag her through the door of her cell, her feet feeling numbed and barely able to keep up with their pace.


	32. Conquering Pride

Tony slammed the half empty glass bottle of scotch down on his desk sloppily and leaned back into his office chair after he’d taken a sip of the warm amber liquid. He was now making a face of disgust at how unpleasant it was.

“Jarvis, I need ice already! Where’s my _ice…_ ” The buzz he’d been building up in an attempt to drown his confused feelings and force them out of sight and out of mind wasn’t coming fast enough for his tastes and worst of all, his scotch was _warm_.

“Sir, I sent you ice twenty minutes ago and I do believe it melted because you forgot to put it in your drink.” Tony glanced around the room in search of the ice that was missing and saw a glass of it nearby filled with water and the tiniest chunks of ice and pouted. Grumbling under his breath about not getting the right kind of help when he needs it, Tony got up from where he sat at his desk, grabbed the bottle of scotch by its neck and then marched over to the small living area set up in the far corner of his lab. Digging around in the freezer, Tony found ice in the icemaker, grabbed a handful then sauntered slowly back to his desk, dropping two or three cubes on the floor as he went since they slipped from his fingers.

Tossing the remaining cubes into his glass of already poured scotch, he then picked up and took a long drink, nearly draining the contents. Scotch was clearly not designed to be consumed in such a way, but Tony didn’t care. He didn’t want to think, he didn’t want to feel, he just wanted to drink and forget.

When he’d first come home from visiting Scarlett at the jail house, Pepper had asked him what Scarlett had done to get arrested and he’d refused to tell her much of anything. She’d started to lecture him about how the woman was bad news from the start and he should put a stop to what was happening before it got further along and more dangerous but Tony had no energy for any of what she had to say. He’d told Pepper to shut up and get the hell out, though in much kinder terms because he knew that Pepper would _not_ have taken kindly to being told to shut up. The last thing he needed that night was for his assistant to add onto his foul mood by jumping down his throat about misplaced anger.

“Where did I go wrong, Jarvis?” Tony refilled his glass to the brim and sat so heavily down in his chair that it rolled backwards beneath him and would’ve continued if he hadn’t set his feet down on the floor to stop it.

“I don’t follow, sir.” Jarvis answered after realizing that his builder was actually listening for a response.

Tony hunched forward in his chair, one hand on his knees and the other hand still gripping around the neck of his half empty bottle of scotch. Without responding to his computer, Tony set down the square bottle on his desk and placed his head in his hands gingerly. Running his tongue nervously over his bottom lip he felt the stinging sensation behind his arc reactor again as he had many times that night. Tapping the back of his hand against it he sat up straight and stretched his neck from side to side, waiting for it to crack.

“Run diagnostics on the chest piece again. Reflect…” Tony snapped his fingers at the screens around his desk that came to life at his beckoning. Tugging his t-shirt up as high as he could he waited for the screens to mirror his image back at him and observed his reactor to see if perhaps the surrounding scar tissue had become enflamed and was causing him discomfort. It wasn’t the first time it’d happened, but he’d never felt a pain _quite_ like this nasty stinging that seemed much deeper than the reactor itself went.

“Chest reactor running at one hundred percent sir, just as it was an hour ago and an hour before that.”

Tony stared suspiciously at the reactor in the reflection that popped up on his screens before shoving his shirt back into place angrily. “Alright, I get it. No need to be snarky about everything Jarvis.” Snapping his fingers once again, the screens went black and turned off until Tony would require their use again. He’d left the room mostly dark. For some reason looking around his once comforting made him feel worse. “Something has to be wrong with the frame then, it hurts.”

“Might I make a suggestion, sir?” Jarvis sounded wary to be offering his opinion and considering the foul mood Tony was in, he couldn’t blame his computer. If it had been any other night, he would’ve been amused that even his home was apprehensive about dealing with him. Getting up from his seat, Tony picked up his full glass of scotch and took a drink of it so it wouldn’t spill while he walked since he’d filled it too high. Slowly he approached the old hotrod on the other end of the room, the one that Scarlett had dented when she’d thrown something in anger after one of the many times they’d fought with each other. The ache behind his reactor worsened and Tony continued to make faces of discomfort.

“Go for it.” Tony waved his hand toward the ceiling in acknowledgement before reclining as far back as he could in his hotrod. Glancing at the ceiling he turned over the situation in his mind one more time before he tried to push it away from his thoughts. It kept returning like an annoying bug coming after some food.

“Perhaps the _problem_ with your reactor isn’t physical.” Jarvis theorized, still sounding apprehensive and even choosing his words wisely.

“ _All_ problems are physical, what are you proposing? That the pain I’m feeling is theoretical? That’s ridiculous, Jarvis. I programmed you better than that. If you had a room I’d send you to it.”  
Tony sipped at his scotch again, wishing it would turn his overactive brain off for just a few seconds to offer him the relief he craved. What people often forgot about Tony was that he was _always_ thinking, _always_ considering each possible outcome and _always_ turning over the next move he would make in his mind. It was what made him so good at everything he did, but it was also his cross to bear. He’d taken to destructive habits over the years to cope with the complicated way his mind worked, but never before had he been unable to drown it out with alcohol. Even the damn scotch was reminding him of Scarlett. How many times had they shared a laugh over a drink?

“I was only theorizing that perhaps the pain you are feeling is a manifestation of your more recent emotional distress.” Jarvis clarified with less apprehension. Apparently being insulted by Tony had prompted him to be more forward. Tony tossed this idea around in his mind a few times. If Jarvis had suggested it when he’d gotten home then he probably would’ve flipped his desk over and tossed his computer to the floor in ager. But now, hours later, when scotch had failed him and his chest was practically throbbing with ache, Tony considered that he was wounded in a way that wasn’t physical at all. It wasn’t that he was unfamiliar with the feeling of heartache, of course not. Tony had lost his parents at a young age, been betrayed by someone he’d considered family, and felt disconnected from nearly the entire world his whole life.

No, Tony Stark was _very_ familiar with heartache but nothing quite like this. It was more like the conflict created by the heartache he was feeling that was making it worse. He’d never been as attached to a woman, outside of Pepper, the way that he was to Scarlett. And even then, things with Pepper had always been _different._ When he’d nearly died, he was afraid that he would never tell her how important she was to him and had mistaken that feeling for something akin to love. Thankfully, once his health had been sorted out, his thoughts had been as well and they’d realized their relationship was perfect just the way it was.

But now, this feeling with Scarlett was completely different than the ache he’d felt even after his near death experience. Even when he’d first found her in the desert, he knew something was off about her though he could never have guessed it would be _this_ particular feeling that caused it. Tony was lost, confused, and his alcohol wasn’t doing anything to lighten his mood, which was saying something. He hadn’t even felt like throwing a party to distract his thoughts. When he’d first realized that all he _wanted_ to do was lie around in his basement and mope, he asked Jarvis to take his temperature to check if he’d somehow contracted a cold.

“You’re probably right.” Tony sighed at long last and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the seat with a soft thump. “The real question is: what do I do about it?”

“I am unfamiliar with such emotional turbulence, sir. Though I do recall Miss Potts, on several occasions, trying to get you to watch several films that you refused to watch with her because you were… and I quote, not on your monthly cycle. Perhaps these could offer you some insights into matters of the heart.” Tony couldn’t help but chuckle at his computer’s ridiculous response.

“I don’t think any chick flicks are going to help me now.” Tony opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. This was far removed from any typical love story. He hadn’t been in a serious relationship that had lasted more than a month in as long as he could remember and he most certainly was not ready to _admit_ that he’d wanted one with a woman who had tried her damndest to destroy his life.

But was that what she had _really_ been doing during her stay? The way she’d smiled and laughed with him over the simplest things, how she’d run away from him on the dance floor at the charity event when they’d gotten so close to kissing; that couldn’t have been an act. When she writhed in pleasure beneath him in bed and had whispered his name so passionately in the sheets; could that really have been her trying to pull the wool over his eyes? Somehow Tony didn’t even think someone with Scarlett’s abilities was that good of an actress.

When he’d seen her in that jail cell earlier in the night, she looked broken and that didn’t seem much like a spy who had done her job particularly well. Shaking his head of the thoughts of the broken woman he’d left to rot alone in a jail cell, considering he was sure she was quite as miserable as he was, he sat up straight and started waving in front of him.

He had disregarded his glass of scotch entirely after he’d gotten into the car. Drinking wasn’t helping and he had a feeling that in this particular situation it was only going to increase his misery rather than lessen it as he desired. So logic dictated he would abandon the cause.

“Bring up the files we have on Scarlett.”

“Yes, sir.” Tony brushed his fingers through his messy hair and waited for the small amount of files to load on his screen. There wasn’t much he had managed to obtain other than the records he’d created for her. At first he was browsing over the remaining files he’d had from when he’d first located the MedCo facility in Africa. She’d been trying to tell him from the very beginning about her suffering, even if she hadn’t meant to, and he hadn’t seen the signs that were lit up so clearly in front of him. He’d been too swept up in trying to get her into bed and fulfilling his own selfish motives. Even if she hadn’t realized it, the panic attacks, the heart ache, the lost and confused moments where she thought he hadn’t been looking, he found were all telltale signs of an identity crisis.

Of all the people in the world, Tony should’ve recognized them. He had gone through the same thing after returning from the desert with the arc reactor in his chest. It was something he had grown to accept and it had become a part of him with time, but it was more than just the fact that he was no longer anything like the rest of humanity. It was that he had nothing to show for his life other than money and materialistic items. And while that had suited him for most of his life, after nearly dying somehow all his _stuff_ had lost its value. When he came home, that had hurt more than anything; more than Stane’s betrayal, more than losing Yinsen, and more than the pain he suffered each day thanks to the shrapnel in his chest.

After that, all that mattered was the next mission and he remembered telling Pepper that he’d found his purpose with the arc reactor. There was so much more he could do to help the world around him than just share his ideas and flaunt his money. When he put on the Iron Man weapon he could really _change_ things for the better. 

Browsing through the files on his computer tagged with Scarlett’s name, he stopped when he found some stills of her that he’d saved for his personal collection. In almost all of them she was smiling in moments where no one had been looking at her. There was no malice in her eyes, none that he could see at least. She’d been through something traumatic and while he only knew the tail end of her story, he knew _now_ that she had just been searching for what to do next. When she’d gone after him she’d only been continuing with what she thought she knew which was exactly what Tony had done in the past. Even if she didn’t want to admit, they were very much alike in that respect.

Zooming in closer to her face in the photo, Tony sighed and tilted his head just slightly to look at it from a different angle. At long last, she’d told him the truth and if anyone knew how hard it was to face the truth, nonetheless share it with someone you thought was trying to kill you, it was Tony. He’d been too hurt and upset by the same truth to see it when she’d been confessing in the jail cell but now that he’d had some proper time to think it over rather than avoid it like the plague he knew what he was dealing with. Groaning in misery, Tony shoved the picture away from him and slammed his head back against the seat of the car again.

“I miss her too, sir.” Tony was shaken back into reality by Jarvis’ voice overhead. The program _was_ modeled after him originally, to respond to his mannerisms and learn from him. Had Jarvis known all along what they he and Scarlett feeling long before they’d realized it? Laughing under his breath, Tony wiped his hand over his jaw as he often did, realizing he needed a shave. How long had it been? He guessed not for a few days now.

“Do you?” Tony cleared his throat then hunched forward, elbows on his knees. “I shouldn’t have left her there alone, no matter how mad I was.”

“I have to agree.”

“You’re an ass.” Tony scoffed and wiped his hands over his face, holding his head in his hands for a frustrating moment before groaning, gripping his hair and leaning back upright.

“Just remember who built me and give credit where credit is due.” Tony ignored Jarvis’ comment and checked his watch to see that it was about two in the morning.

“I’ll go get her in the morning. I doubt that any judge would grant me a favor at this time of night.” Tony smiled resolutely, though his chest still stung with heartache. It had hurt to hear the truth but the fact that it was _finally_ the truth was what really mattered. He would go to the jailhouse, get her out on bail and set her free one way or another. It would take work for the damage between them to be repaired, not to mention entering an exclusive serious relationship scared the hell out of Tony, but he would hope that’s what _she_ wanted. If she thought he was worth the risk, then he’d be willing to take the same leap.

Then again, he wouldn’t want to force her into something she wasn’t ready for either. The good ones, the women that really managed their way past his tough, cold, conniving and often perverted exterior never wanted to stay with him for very long. He always did something to drive the important people out of his life.

“What would you like me to do in the meantime, sir? I am guessing sleep is not in the forecast.” Jarvis once again brought Tony back to reality.

“I need you to go back to the day we went to Africa in search of that facility. There has to be another lead that we’re not seeing. I don’t care how good they are, no company is this damn good.” Tony sighed heavily. If he couldn’t make Scarlett stay because of what she felt for him then maybe he could make her stay if he found a clue to lead them to the people who actually _had_ put her in harm’s way. It was a desperate attempt to avoid admitting the truth of what was going on in his head and what was going on in his heart.

“What is it we’re looking for exactly?” Jarvis made several holographic screens appear in front of the hotrod.

“Something we didn’t see before.”

“That’s a very _large_ window, sir. Could you possibly be more specific?”

“I have had just about enough of your snark tonight, Jarvis.” Tony knew that in a weird way, it felt like Jarvis was trying to cheer him up. “Check nearby hospital records. I was bound to hurt somebody in that craziness that day. There’s a slim chance that they sent people to nearby medical facilities.” Yawning, Tony closed his eyes and waited for his computer to do the grunt work for him. Jarvis was so well programmed, that he could do the hacking easily for Tony with little assistance.

“There was only one case of mysterious burns that resulted in admission to the hospital for a number of days, sir. It appears the subject was in critical condition and is still in recovery.” Jarvis responded once his computations were complete.

“Really?” Tony had thought it had been a stretch for him to search the hospitals and hadn’t actually _expected_ any results. “Bring up as much information as you can on the patient, Jarvis.”

“Already done.”

Tony opened his eyes and stared at the hospital admission files in front of him. The man had been dropped off at the hospital anonymously, which to Tony already sounded like something MedCo would do. After he’d woken up days later with chemical burns on his skin, similar to those Scarlett had received, he had filled out the proper information concerning his identity.

“Scott Aaronson. Engineer…” Tony grumbled then rested his head in his hands. The man that Scarlett had thought she’d lost at MedCo hadn’t been lost at all. No one had shot him and he’d been thrown in front of the hospital more than likely after Scarlett had been taken by Tony. It was obvious that MedCo hadn’t needed Scott for anything after that and they didn’t require leverage over Scarlett until she’d been retrieved which had been their obvious next step.

Would the guilt be lifted from her shoulders when she found out that her hands were clean of Scott’s blood? Would she feel relieved and perhaps be able to sleep at night? While Tony wouldn’t admit to watching her sleep if asked, he’d seen her tossing and turning and knew something more than hiding the truth from him was plaguing her thoughts. 

Worst of all, Tony wondered if she _loved_ this man she thought was lost. She hadn’t gone into specifics in regards to him even when asked and wondered if it was because she was afraid to hurt Tony’s feelings. Of course, she had said that it was going nowhere with Scott and there was no future with him but she’d also added on that it was complicated so Tony knew there was more to it than that.

The same could be said for her connection to Tony. There was obviously no future at face value with the kind of man Tony was reputed to be, and what they had was more than complicated. Would she want to go after Scott and let him know she was alive when she found out he had survived? Would she want to take a second chance at a relationship she thought she’d never get the opportunity to revive? Or would she want to stay with Tony and explore the confusing feelings they had for each other? Tony was guessing she would leave and go after Scott. It was most likely that the only reason she disregarded the relationship was because the man was dead or at least she had thought he was.

When it came to love and the like, Tony had very little faith in his chances. Yet with those thoughts, his heart stung at the idea of her leaving him to go after this Scott guy. The pictures of him in the file were unimpressive but couldn’t be further removed from Tony himself. He had striking blond hair, a young looking face, was thin, lanky and had crystal clear blue eyes. How the hell had Scarlett ended up attracted to him? 

Tony rubbed his hand over his jaw in reflection. He looked a little older than he actually was and he attributed that to growing up earlier than he needed to. Life had always been stressful and burdensome being a Stark. His hands were gruff from battle and his hands on work, he had facial hair that he’d once tried to keep in check but it had become impossible and he’d simply embraced what he’d been gifted with. He was tall, with broader shoulders a thicker more muscular build, and had dark brown eyes in comparison. Maybe Scarlett didn’t _have_ a specific type.

In the morning, Tony would get her out of jail and he would offer her the option to stay with him and he’d offer to fly her to Africa to go see the man that she thought was dead so she could get closure. Even if it meant losing her, he couldn’t keep her trapped and thinking she’d been the cause of the death of someone she’d potentially loved.

Still, jealousy was an ugly thing and Tony was definitely not above being jealous. He didn’t _want_ her going after Scott. He wanted her to stay with him and start over. They could follow their hearts instead of letting their egos lead the course. Curiosity gripped Tony and he couldn’t help but wonder how long she’d been with this man. Maybe the police reports from her prior arrests would give him more information. If they’d been as thick as thieves, he would’ve been arrested with her.

“Jarvis, save the files on Scott for later and keep a tight lip on it, okay? This is between you and me for now.”

“Keeping secrets has served you both so well, already. But yes, of course, whatever you wish.” Jarvis was clearly not above putting in his own two cents about the information that Tony had found particularly in matters regarding Scarlett.

“I’m going to tell her about it, it’s not a secret. I just don’t want anyone _else_ to know about it.” Tony rolled his eyes. “Oh ye of little faith. After that, do me a favor and uh, bring up Scarlett’s arrest record. See who else was included in the incident reports.”

“Hoping that the name Scott doesn’t pop in conjunction with them, are you?” Jarvis responded but started searching for the files they’d located after they’d first found out Scarlett’s full name.

“Guilty.” Tony stretched his limbs and glanced around the room absentmindedly. “I don’t suppose you’ll get me some water.”

“I’m afraid that I do not deliver to that area of the house. You didn’t want anything spilling on your cars while you work, if I recall.”

“Right, right… Guess I have to get it myself. Shouldn’t have sent Pepper home…” Tony grunted as he got out of the car, stumbling on his rubbery legs. “What’s taking so long with those files? Even when we knew nothing about her it didn’t take you this long. Do I have to rewire you again? Are you overworked?” Tony regained his equilibrium and started toward the living area of the lab again. Once there he opened the door to the fridge and leaned heavily against it. “Of course there are no water bottles in here. That would be too easy.” 

“There are no arrest records to date for Miss Scarlett Damien.” Jarvis reported once his search was completed. “Neither local nor international police databases are filing any prior misdemeanors under that name.”

“Well, that’s not right.” Tony pulled a chunk of ice from the freezer and popped it into his mouth. After he’d crunched it enough to make enough room to keep talking he continued. “Where is it in the search history? Look for it that way.”

“Those files no longer exist, sir.” Jarvis followed the command and responded quickly.

“Wait, the search history or the files on Scarlett?”

“The files on Scarlett, your search history is intact, every dirty detail.” Tony considered what this could mean. Hand on his forehead he tried not to jump to conclusions but he had a strong feeling in his gut that something was wrong. Walking back to his desk, still crunching on the remaining ice in his mouth, Tony sat in his office chair and contemplated what could cause such a phenomenon.

“Jarvis, bring me the files from the jailhouse tonight and from the courthouse for Scarlett’s scheduled arraignment.” Tony hoped that they’d find the information there and the feeling in the pit of his stomach was just that; a feeling. He was growing tired of his emotions becoming physical manifestations, as Jarvis had so eloquently put it.

“There are no such files on record, sir.” When Tony didn’t respond and remained still in his chair, Jarvis continued. “As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Mr. Stark, Scarlett Damien does not exist.” Clenching his jaw, Tony considered the truth of the situation. If it was a computer error, which was the most likely cause, going down to the jailhouse in the middle of the night would cause untold publicity problems.

On the other hand, if it was what he feared, and someone had erased Scarlett so she wouldn’t be noticed missing, then if he waited until morning to act he could lose her forever. With the ease MedCo seemed to disappear from the digital and physical world, it wasn’t a risk he was willing to take.

“I’m probably going to regret this later, but uh…” Tony turned his chair around and found that Jarvis was a step ahead of him and was preparing the Mark VII for him. “Thanks.”

“I will alert Miss Potts and Mr. Hogan of the situation, sir. Bring her back safe.” The arms of the gantry came to life, preparing the suit for action.

“You’re my favorite computer, you know.” Tony didn’t smile as he walked over the gantry that would suit him up. The Iron Man suit fit like a glove and clung to him seamlessly. “Hey, Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Those plans I threw out for the Stark Tower in Manhattan when I got home? The alterations I made?” Tony watched as the screens and sensors booted and came to life in front of him inside his helmet.

“Yes, I do recall you angrily telling me to scrap them before you got the scotch out and started drinking.” Jarvis responded politely.

“You didn’t _really_ scrap them, right?”

“Of course not, sir. I very rarely delete anything you tell me to get rid of in anger particularly when in conjunction with alcohol.” Tony made sure the systems within the repaired Mark VII were running to full capacity before launching out of the garage at full speed.

“Thanks again for that. Start scans of the jailhouse for me. Try to locate where Scarlett is and let me know if she’s okay. If we can see her resting in the building then I won’t go in”

“But if anything else, I assume we’re going in guns blazing?”

“Just like Jesse James.”

“I do prefer Wyatt Earp, myself.” Tony was glad that Jarvis was trying to calm his nerves but was more concerned with what he would find when he arrived at the jailhouse. “Miss Damien’s heat signature has been targeted in red, sir.” Blueprints of the old building popped in his line of sight then slid to the right to stay out of his view way while he flew toward the jailhouse.

Jarvis had memorized her heat signature and it was very clear that she was struggling against a group of men bigger than her that were carrying her away through the hall. Just as he had suspected, MedCo had waited for the perfect moment to strike. Once she was alone and vulnerable they had erased her existence and made their move. There would be no one to miss if there were no files to prove she’d been there.

“She seems off even for being attacked, what’s going on in there?” Tony gritted his teeth and threw out several possibilities that came to mind.

“I cannot answer that.”

“Some of my questions are rhetorical.” Tony hurried around the jailhouse, looking for an entrance that wouldn’t involve him breaking through a wall. At the top of the building he found an old bell tower that was obviously out of use for some time. Deciding he would pay for the damages he’d inevitably do to the building, Tony dropped in through the bell tower, which broke easily beneath the weight of the Mark armor.

“Nice landing, sir.”

“Keep her targeted, Jarvis.” Tony didn’t have the energy to joke around any longer. He needed to find Scarlett before MedCo’s men disappeared with her. Hovering through the hallways he moved cautiously in case there were any unexpected surprises. He’d underestimated MedCo’s forces one too many times. The lights in the hallways were still flickering like some old horror movie and it gave him the chills. At the end of the hall he could hear a commotion and what sounded like men yelling. Then he heard Scarlett shouting, but her words were somewhat slurred.

“Get offame!” Spying her at the far end of the hall, she twisted sluggishly out of the grasp of the man on her left and knocked the balance of the one on her right, sending them both down the staircase. She had a black bag over her head, to further weaken her against them.

“Let her go!” Tony shouted through the microphone of the Mark VII then held up his hand repulsors threateningly. Instead of relenting as he had hoped they would, they raised their guns and fired shots at him but their bullets crashed with the armor and ricocheted away harmlessly. Not wanting to give them a chance to use any of their expensive toys to try and disable him again, Tony had Jarvis lower the capacity of the repulsors so the attacks he fired would be nonlethal.

The first man fell back after one blow, the second just after that. Down the stairs he could hear struggling. He was not surprised to see that despite how she’d been stumbling the feisty brunette had managed to come out on top. Scarlett had her legs wrapped around the neck of the man who had fallen down the stairs with her in an attempt to strangle him and the black bag was on the floor next to her. She looked worse for wear, but was obviously still willing to fight for her life despite whatever drug had been obviously given to her to slow her down. Blood was trickling down the side of her head where she had hit it when she’d fallen down the stairs.

“Behind you!” Scarlett nodded to Tony, who turned instantly once he saw the blip on his targeting and delivered a metallic fist to the face of the man who had attempted to attack him from behind. Just as he had delivered a second blow to make sure the man was unconscious, one of the men who had fallen earlier to his repulsor blast was back on his feet and aiming one of those peculiar guns that had turned off the Mark VII on the highway what seemed like so long ago.

Before Tony could make an attempt to move faster than the man did with his gun, a shot was fired behind him. He turned in panic to make sure Scarlett was alright and was relieved to see she was the one holding the gun. The blow had hit the man after him in the shoulder and forced him to drop his weapon. Tony rushed over to Scarlett who was wiping her prints off of the handle of the gun and then stumbled to lean against the wall of the jailhouse.

“Are you alright?” He popped open the helmet of his armor to speak with her. She nodded and smiled weakly, but was having a much harder time fighting the drugs in her system now that the adrenaline was wearing off. About to speak again, Tony stopped when there was a commotion down below. Apparently the police had _finally_ come to their senses and were reacting to the situation in the stairwell. Quickly, Tony scooped Scarlett in his arms and flew back to the bell tower where he hid her. “You stay here.” She nodded again and leaned against the woodwork, not bothered by the spiders and cobwebs around her.

Tony returned to the hallway, where he quickly lined up the unconscious forms of the four men who had been after Scarlett. Once he’d done that, he rushed back to the bell tower, hoping to remain unnoticed. If Scarlett’s records had been erased, then someone had been paid off in the jailhouse to allow the men to sneak in and out with their bounty. Tony wasn’t going to argue if her charges were gone entirely. He could bring her home in peace, without having to deal with any legal issues. Once in the bell tower again, he found Scarlett holding the side of her head and waiting. The guilt was still written all over her face despite how he’d obviously come back for her.

“Tony, how did you know?” It wasn’t the question he’d expected, but probably the same one he would’ve asked if the tables had been turned.

“Let’s get you out of here, okay? I’ll answer all your questions at the house.” Tony carefully lifted her in his arms, cradling her close against his suit. He’d half expected her to object to being carried off but instead she closed her eyes and leaned against the shoulder of his armor. Every objection she’d had to being treated like a damsel in distress in the past had disappeared. At least he knew that she _wanted_ to be saved. It was a relief that she hadn’t told him to get lost.

It didn’t take long to get back to the Malibu cliff side mansion. Once inside the house, Tony set her down in his hotrod where he’d been drinking earlier and popped his helmet open while the gantry appeared out of the floor to pull the suit off piece by piece.

“So how did you know I was in trouble?” Scarlett leaned over the seat of the car, her eyelids looking heavy, but she somehow struggled to stay awake and fight whatever drug was in her system.

“Your files went missing.” Tony shook his head once the Mark VII was put back in its place. Taking a step away from the gantry platform he walked over to where she sat in the car. “It was like you were being erased. I couldn’t let that happen, Scarlett. I guess those guys weren’t anticipating me to show up. They weren’t exactly prepared for the Mark VII.”

“Well, they only sent four guys after me anyway. If I’d been able to avoid the needle and hadn’t had anything to drink beforehand then they would’ve lost anyway.” Scarlett offered Tony the smallest twitch of a smile at the corner of her mouth.

“I have no doubt.” Tony tucked her messy hair behind her ear and let his hand linger against her cheek before pulling it away. Much to his surprise, she’d closed her eyes and leaned into his touch rather than shied away from it like she usually would. He could see the pained look on her face, some kind of internal struggle mixed with the anguish from the wound on the side of her head.

“Thank you.” Scarlett looked up at him sincerely. She didn’t want to play games with him anymore. Being honest had only been hard because she’d been so wrapped up in a lie. Now that she was out of jail and away from the men who were there to take her back to MedCo, she was ready to start fresh, if Tony would let her. There had been two thoughts in her mind while she’d been dragged through the hallway. One of them had been how sorry she was that her last act before being taken had been crushing Tony and the second being that she was tired of fighting and hurting everyone around her.

“It’s no problem. You know… Jarvis was worried and I can’t say no to Jarvis.” Tony shrugged his shoulders. “Come on, we should take a look at that bump on your head and let you get some rest. Sleep off whatever they put in your system.”

“It’s just… a sedative. Should’ve used a stronger one and knocked me out. For a dastardly villainous company they’re ill equipped to deal with someone like me.” Scarlett slowly stepped out of the hotrod but lost her balance after a few steps. Tony quickly helped correct it.

“Well, they clearly underestimated you on multiple occasions. I’m personally hoping they never learn.” Tony started guiding her through the lab and up the stairs, since he was sure she wasn’t going to let him continue to carry her around. His instincts were, however, telling him that he should just pick her up instead of making her do more work after being drugged and bashed in the head. But, what they currently had was too fragile for him to test. Once they were in the living room, Tony was forced to stop his trek upstairs when Pepper came rushing up to him. He’d nearly forgotten that Jarvis had called them just in case they were needed.

“Tony! What on earth is going on here? I thought she was supposed to be in…” Happy was standing behind Pepper, looking both half asleep and confused. He clearly didn’t need to know what was going on as badly as Pepper seemed to. “Is she _bleeding?_ Why are you two _always_ bleeding? I swear you’re giving me an ulcer! Should I call the doctor?”

“I’ll explain after I take care of her okay? No doctor, she’ll be fine. Would you, uh… get me some antacid or something? All this yelling has given me heartburn.” Tony scrunched up his face comically. In the midst of his worry, he’d nearly forgotten about how much he’d had to drink. While it was less than he could handle, it was still enough to turn his stomach considering how he’d jumped into action without having so much as a glass of water. “Oh and restock the fridge downstairs with water bottles. Really, how did it get that empty? It’s like we’re in some third world country!” Pepper stared at Tony, mouth agape and prepared to argue with him about every single word that had come out of his mouth. “Really, I’ll explain what happened in a minute.” Softening her features after hearing the serious tone in her boss’ voice and seeing how out of it Scarlett looked, Pepper nodded and started away from him.

While Tony had been arguing with Pepper Scarlett had taken a seat on the couch and closed her eyes. Once again, she’d taken to holding her head. The blow there was clearly bothering her. Tony would have to remember to check her pupils in case she had a concussion. Then he really _would_ have to call the doctor.

“Come on, that’s not bed.”

“But I’m so comfy…” Scarlett pouted and glared up at Tony with one eye open.

“It will be way more comfortable upstairs.” Tony decided he’d deal with her yelling at him if he had to and slipped an arm beneath her knees and the other around her back so he could carry her up the stairs with ease.

“I can walk, they hit my head not my knees.” Scarlett looked at him as skeptically as she could considering how her body seemed to be refusing her actions.

“I know you can, but this is much faster.” Tony whispered and started quickly up the stairs before she had time to squirm and try to escape. Bypassing the guest room that had originally been set up for her, Tony instead moved onto the master bedroom and set her down on his bed to rest. He wanted to be able to keep an eye on her through the night without having to spy through cameras. She seemed not to notice which room she’d been put into anyway. Once she was resting on his pillows, Tony started looking around for something to use to take care of her wounds. She’d taken care of him so many times over the past two weeks and he’d never gotten the chance to return the favor despite her injuries. While he’d been the one to take care of her after she’d gotten back from Africa, it wasn’t quite the same.

Much to his surprise, Pepper had followed them into the room and brought him a bowl of warm water along with a cloth to clean the wound on her head and other first aid supplies just in case. She mouthed “you’re welcome” and then started back down the stairs without another word.

Tony watched her go suspiciously then turned back to Scarlett who was staring at the ceiling. Picking up the cloth he brushed it over the bloodied bump on the side of her head. It wasn’t very severe, but didn’t look like it was peaches and cream to deal with either. When the cloth met the wound she gasped and grabbed his arm to try and stop him.

“Look, I have to do this. I don’t like it very much either. There is nothing sexy about you being drugged.” Much to Tony’s surprise, Scarlett laughed at his comment and let go of his hand. She watched him continue to wipe at the cut on the side of her head.

“You’re doing it wrong.” She whispered and then guided his hand so it wasn’t pushing so harshly against the bloodied wound there. “You’re going to make it worse if you keep scratching at it.”

“I usually make Pepper do this.”

“I’m not surprised.” Scarlett closed her eyes while he finished up wiping away the blood that was starting to dry onto the side of her face. “Tony?”

“Yeah?” Now that he’d wiped the wound, he was trying to understand the wizardry that was the medical tape that was supposed to keep her wound closed so it could scab up properly. After turning it every which way and not understanding it, he decided to place gauze over the wound instead.

“I’m sorry.” Glancing at him seriously, she touched his arm gingerly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t Scarlett… it’s really okay. I get it. I mean it took me most of the night, but I eventually got it.”

“No, it’s _not_ okay. What I did was not okay.” Scarlett swallowed hard and propped herself up on her elbows so she could look at him seriously and resist the tug of sleep the medicine in her system was forcing on her. “I feel guilty.” She touched a hand to her chest and furrowed her brow in thought. Tony rested his hands in his lap while she internally struggled in front of him. Clearly, whatever drugs Scarlett was on was lowering her inhibitions enough for her to make confessions he was sure she would not usually make. “Scott died because of me and since the moment I woke up I have felt nothing but guilt for being unable to save him. I felt guilty and the only way I knew how to cope with it was to get revenge.”

“Scarlett…” Tony considered telling her what he’d found in his search. He could free her from the emotional turmoil she was stressed by and set her free from it. Scott didn’t die and she had no reason to feel so bad about it.

“I’m not done yet.” She spoke earnestly and Tony wondered if it wasn’t the drugs talking. Maybe Scarlett had a few more confessions to make after all.

“Okay. Go ahead.”

“I feel guilty for blaming you for his death and for my stupid decisions that followed when all you’ve tried to do is help me and do some good for the world. You’re still an ass but you’re not to blame for what happened to him or to me.” Tony glanced away from her as she spoke. His heart was stinging again and he wasn’t sure why. He hated dealing with these sorts of emotions, but maybe this was what he needed to hear. “I’ve been finally trying to do something good and I couldn’t even recognize that’s what _you_ were doing. I… Everything backfired. I couldn’t even save myself.”

“Hey…” Tony wasn’t very good at being comforting, but he knew that he had to get her to rest before she said things she regretted. Helping her lay back down, he urged her against his pillows again and pushed her hair out of her face once more, his hand ultimately resting on the side of her neck.

“I had to say it. It was all I could think about after you left. I hurt you and it _was_ what I meant to do when I first met you but I didn’t know you then. I thought I knew everything about but I was so wrong. I’m sorry Tony… I’m so sorry.” When he didn’t respond to her she closed her eyes and offered a small smile. “I’m done now.”

“It’s not your fault either, you know.” Tony swallowed the guilt he was feeling. Why didn’t he tell her about Scott? In his mind, he knew that was the right thing to do, but then fear suddenly gripped him and stayed his tongue. What if she _did_ leave him? What if she wanted to still do the right thing and go after Scott and the people who had harmed them? If she left then he’d be alone again and he hadn’t realized how much he hated being alone until he hadn’t been anymore.

“It is. There’s no question about that. Can you forgive me?” Scarlett stared at him, waiting for a response desperately. Tony looked to the side. It wasn’t a question of _if_ he could forgive her, it was a question of what he should tell her. He’d forgiven her earlier in the night before he’d even gone after her. But now he knew what he should do and he _wasn’t_ doing it. Why shouldn’t he be selfish? When things were better he’d tell her. Or maybe he’d never tell her and help her deal with the guilt she was feeling instead. They could work together to get past it. The longer it took him to answer, the more panicked Scarlett became. Somehow she’d known that things wouldn’t work out for her. Nothing ever seemed to. Maybe that sort of life wasn’t for her. She was supposed to spend her days chasing shadows not falling in love.

Realizing that he’d drifted off into his own conflicted thoughts he gently brushed his thumb against the outline of her jaw and then kissed her quickly.

“I already did.” Tony smiled, staying close to her lips. “You need to…” Before he could finish his thoughts, Scarlett had perched up on her elbow again and kissed him a second time. Smiling against her lips, Tony placed his hand on the bed next to her to keep from falling on top of her. Not that he would’ve cared if that had happened, but he wanted her to remember everything they did. It felt good to kiss without worrying what motives the other had other than the sensation itself. And even though she wasn’t working for a cause anymore, she still felt the same bolts of electricity and tension that she’d felt when they’d first gotten so dangerously close. There was no question about the strength of what they shared, not anymore.

Reluctantly they both pulled away, though Tony kept his hand on the side of her on his bed. Scarlett looked relieved, though he could still see the heavy burden of guilt weighing on her shoulders. Not to mention she looked like she needed sleep desperately. Between her nightmares and the stress of their situation, he couldn’t blame her.

“Thank you.”

“You have thanked me more tonight than the entire time that I’ve known you.” Tony smirked devilishly. “You must be delusional. Now get some sleep. Once those drugs wear off we’ll really talk, okay?”

“I’d like that.” Scarlett nodded her head and then closed her eyes, rolling onto her side so she could be comfortable on the unfamiliar bed. Anything felt better than the cot she’d been lying on in the jail. It was easy to give into the tug of drowsiness that she’d been fighting since the moment she’d been injected by the thugs who had come for her once she had said everything that was on her mind and was sure she was safe for the night.

Tony tugged the blankets from the bottom of his bed so they were covering her and then walked out of the room. Jarvis dimmed the lights behind him. Pepper was waiting for him in the hallway as he expected. He leaned against the door after he’d closed it behind him and then narrowed his eyes at her when she handed him the box of Zantac he’d asked for when he’d first gotten home.

“Why is everyone such a smart ass tonight?”

“You have a lot of explaining to do, Tony.” Pepper crossed her arms over her chest and then glanced at the door behind him.

“Oh, Pepper.” Tony placed his arm around her shoulder and guided her down the hallway. “…do I have to?”

“Yes. You had Jarvis pull me out of bed at close to three in the morning. You are going to explain what the hell just happened.”

“Fine.” Tony pouted, then headed downstairs where he would spend the rest of his night explaining what had transpired since he’d gotten Scarlett’s phone call at dinner and then convincing Pepper that Scarlett was no longer out to get him. The woman still held a grudge after seeing the way Tony had been hurt and the danger he’d been put in.


	33. Committment

When Scarlett finally opened her eyes again her head was pounding and she felt dizzy and woozy. She guessed it was an after effect to whatever drug she’d been injected with in combination with the blow to her head and wondered how long she’d been asleep. Her body ached in a way that let her know it’d been quite awhile. What had transpired after she’d been drugged was a blurry haze of memories but she could recall the important parts if nothing else. Turning onto her side and closing her eyes as the room spun around her, Scarlett wondered again how long she’d been unconscious. It was true that she hadn’t been sleeping properly since she’d arrived at the Stark mansion and had likely needed the rest, but felt unsettled that she was so groggy nonetheless.

The floor to ceiling glass windows that lined the perimeter of the room lit up when Jarvis realized she was awake, revealing the breathtaking scenery off the coast of Malibu. The dark waters were crashing below as high tide rolled in and the sun was setting on the horizon, filling the sky with a purplish orange color. Smiling at the beautiful view, it was so distracting that it took Scarlett a good few moments to realize that she wasn’t in _her_ room at the mansion. The view was much nicer in this room than it was in the guest room. Sitting up suddenly, she held her head in misery when it continued to spin and ache at her reactions.

“I highly recommend that you take it slowly until you’ve adjusted, Miss Damien.” Jarvis warned overhead.

“I’m okay, Jarvis.” Scarlett cleared her throat when she realized her voice sounded weak and frail from too much sleep. “I could use a glass of water though.”

“Right away.”

Once Scarlett’s head had stopped spinning and started adjusting to being conscious she glanced around the room and realized quickly that she was in Tony’s luxurious master bedroom, sleeping in his beautiful and incredibly comfortable king sized bed. She hadn’t gotten to enjoy the room so much the last time she’d been in it, but now she got the chance to really admire her surroundings. Glancing down at herself, she checked to make sure she had clothes on. She definitely didn’t remember getting into Tony’s bed but perhaps that hadn’t seemed important before she’d finally passed out. To be honest, she was surprised she’d fought unconsciousness as long as she had considering the circumstances. Thankfully, she was still wearing the same clothing that she’d gone off to the bar in and hadn’t made any poor decisions while she’d been drugged.

If she did anything else with Tony, she wanted to remember it as something she did without any other influence than her own desire. Their confusing relationship had been filled with too much deceit and hidden motives from the both of them. It was time for a fresh start, if she would be allowed to have one. Scarlett considered this.

She’d never had a fresh start on _anything_ before.

Granted, she still had to deal with MedCo and the mess she’d made, but for some reason that felt less important given the circumstances. For the first time since she’d woken up in Tony’s lab that fateful day that seemed so long ago, she wasn’t riddled with guilt or upset to be where she was. She was sure that a storm was brewing in her mind that would reveal itself later nonetheless. Things were _never_ this easy.

Slowly moving her legs off of the side of the bed, Scarlett was stopped when Jarvis spoke cautiously.

“Please remain where you are, Miss Damien, your heart rate is still rather high.”

“It’s just the drugs wearing off I’m sure, Jarvis.” Scarlett glanced upward at the sound of a mechanical click. A tray came from the ceiling with a glass of sparkling water, the bottle opened it’d come from placed next to it in case she wanted more, and slices of lemon and lime on a plate next to them both.

“We cannot know that for sure. If you move too quickly you may end up putting yourself in unnecessary danger.”

“Does this mean you forgive me?” Scarlett ignored the water for the time being and continued to glance up at the computer. She’d decided that up was the designated place to look for communication with Jarvis.

“I am not programmed to be angry.” Jarvis responded simply. Scarlett smiled and took the serving platter off of the tray that quickly moved back into the ceiling out of her way. She set it down on the nightstand, her limbs trembling with weakness from carrying even the light bottle of water. Her head was still swimming, but getting better with every moment that passed by.

“How long was I asleep?” Scarlett quickly pulled her ponytail out of her hair and set it aside, trying to make sense of the knotted mess she’d created while sleeping.

“About two days.” Tony walked into the room, looking down at his phone as he did. He was wearing a pale blue suit and was loosening his dark colored tie. It looked like he’d just returned from a meeting and Scarlett realized it was likely that he had. She often forgot that Tony was the CEO of a very successful company, given the extended time she’d spent with him. “I wanted to take a blood sample to make sure that whatever you were drugged with wouldn’t hurt you, but Pepper convinced me that it’d be wrong to run tests on you without your consent. Despite how many times I told her that you wouldn’t know, she told Jarvis not to let me near you with any needles.”

“She was right about that.” Scarlett scoffed and shook her head, but only momentarily considering it was still swimming. “I would’ve known.” Silence fell between them and Scarlett wondered if she should apologize again. Had he really believed her when she had been drugged or had he thought that it was the medicine talking for her? After realizing she’d been staring awkwardly at Tony for too long she offered a small smile before turning to look out the window. She felt the bed weighing down next to her as Tony sat at her side but kept looking out the window. The silence wasn’t awkward, but more comfortable than anything else. The painful tension she’d sensed when she’d told him the truth in the jail cell was gone. Scarlet considered that she’d been unconscious for two days. Sometimes when she lost long periods of time like that, it was hard to cope with.

“You know, you’re the first woman to spend the night in my bed with clothes on.” Tony began, that same confidence in his voice that he’d had when they first met. “Well, and without sex. Sometimes all the clothes don’t come off… Technicality but…” Tony smirked, leaning his hand behind him to support his weight.

“I know what you mean. I’ll admit, the first thing I did was check to see if my clothes were on.” Scarlett turned to look at him at last. “Why _am_ I in your room? Wouldn’t the guest room have served the same purpose?”

“I wanted to keep a close eye on you.” Tony shrugged. “And more than just through Jarvis’ cameras.”

“About that actually, I sorta found all those pictures and videos you kept of me. You know, when I was digging through your stuff…” Scarlett turned to look out the window again, a playful smile on her lips. Tony’s eyebrows shot up to the top of his brow and he stared at her for a very long moment while he considered his response carefully.

“I was doing… _research_.” Tony choked out when he couldn’t think of a better response, making a face up at Jarvis to express his inability to come up with an excuse for what he’d kept stored in his hard drive.

“Sure you were. Researching my smile were you? Or how I slept?” Scarlett leaned back against the bed, flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling, her feet still hanging over the side. She glanced sideways at Tony and pursed her lips in a smile. “You _like_ me, I think.”

“Hey, what are you, twelve?” Tony laughed, looking out the window still though he’d felt Scarlett’s changes in movement.

“You’re infatuated… It’s moved far beyond like.” Scarlett closed her eyes and continued to tease him. Her dizziness was finally at bay, but she couldn’t shake the fog in her mind. “Watching me sleep… come on now, Stark…” It was nice to joke with Tony and for things to feel the way that they had once been between them but without the gnawing deceit and guilt in the back of her mind.

“And what if I am?” Scarlett opened her eyes to find that Tony had laid next to her on his side, leaning on his elbow, and using his other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. “No matter how many times I fix that it always seems to fall back down.”

“Maybe that’s a sign you should stop trying to fix it.” Scarlett felt her hair immediately escape from where Tony had tucked it and fall over her cheek again.

“No,” Tony shook his head adamantly as he fixed her hair again and held it in place, “I honestly don’t think that I _can_ stop.” It was clear that he wasn’t talking about her unruly hair anymore. Scarlett didn’t have a sassy retort for him that time. She honestly wasn’t sure what to say to him and it wasn’t often that she was at a loss for words. They were diving into uncharted waters without life preservers now and it scared her more than it should have. Hell, she was a spy and a damn good one at that, why couldn’t she handled a little crush on a guy? 

Granted, he wasn’t your _typical_ guy. He was Tony Stark, one of the richest men in the world, and the most brilliant mind to date. Despite that, Scarlett was sure that _wasn’t_ what intimidated her. It was out of her comfort zone, sure, but it shouldn’t have been that hard for her to deal with. In her mind it seemed perfectly obvious and simple, but something unspoken made it incredibly complicated. Maybe it was because she hadn’t felt this way since her youth and was afraid to lose it but at the same time wasn’t sure how to proceed with it. It wasn’t another job, another mission; this was just _her_ life and it scared her to make that big change.

“Now, uh, speaking hypothetically here, you know from one engineer to another.” Tony continued to watch her as he spoke, pulling his hand away from her hair. “If I wanted you to stay here, which I mean, I could be okay with that outside of a hypothetical situation too…” Clearing his throat, he continued. “Would you be open to that given all that’s transpired? You initially got close to me for your… well, your _cause_ and now that it’s out of the equation I’m not sure where you stand on the matter.”

“I signed paperwork to finish the energy project with you. Most of what happened between was genuine.” Scarlett nodded, speaking without hesitation. “I think that gives me cause enough to stay in the general area if nothing else. I’m not so sure about staying _here_ considering the amount of disdain Pepper still has for me and how complicated things are between us. Plus, I don’t want to take advantage of your money. I have plenty of my own I just was never one for extravagance or comforting homes or home in general.”

“I meant _more_ than just for the work we’ll continue. Stay for more than just a business partnership. I know it’s forward but well, considering everything that’s transpired in the past two weeks, maybe it’s not _too_ forward to assume that this thing we’re dancing around is more than business.” Tony took her words to heart. What did she mean she wasn’t one for having a home, nonetheless a comforting one? It was a quick reminder that outside of their short time together, he didn’t know much about Scarlett’s life.

Scarlett leaned up on her elbows and turned to look at him curiously. Was he really asking what she thought he was asking? For someone who was trying to be forward, he was being incredibly vague.

“I know that you were using the sex with me to get a chance at Jarvis but, really… I think it was more than that from the beginning and as a scientist I need to um, explore _every_ avenue of possibility and I was hoping that it would play to your curious mind like it’s playing to mine and we could, you know, experiment with the possibility that this is more than just minor attraction. Well, not minor that’s the wrong word… More like explosive and uh… mind blowing if I do say so myself. And I do. Rather frequently.”

“Tony,” Scarlett started but was interrupted as he kept on talking.

“I mean think about it, truly. If we didn’t explore this possibility of… a relationship, if that’s the term we want to use. Yeah I think that’s the right word.”

“A relationship?” Scarlett couldn’t help but smile at how ridiculous this was becoming. She’d seen Tony ramble before, but never quite like a nervous school boy.

“Yes, a _relationship_. It took some practice but I can form the word, thank you very much. Now who’s getting who off topic? As I was saying, if we didn’t explore the possibility of a relationship, then it would be irresponsible of us.”

“Irresponsible, hmm?” At this point, Scarlett couldn’t hide the amusement on her face. Her head had finally stopped swimming and she could fully enjoy the antics of the man at her side.

“Yeah, I mean… we owe it the world to um, you know, explore the bond that we’ve created the platform for. I mean aside the scientific possibilities of the two of us teaming up on more than just a business level, there are the social aspects of things that we can really carve a niche into.”

“Wait, we owe it to the _world?_ ” Scarlett held a hand up to interrupt him.

“You wouldn’t make humanity suffer simply because we hit a bumpy road, right?” Tony was smiling from ear to ear now. Scarlett was trying very hard not to laugh at Tony’s argument.

“Stark, are you asking me out? Or at least trying to ask me out?”

“ _Asking you out?_ Weren’t you just listening to me? Think of the scientific and social implications, Scarlett! Besides, I’m not sixteen… I don’t _ask_ girls out anymore. I just…”

“You just, _what?_ ” Scarlett cocked an eyebrow in amusement. Tony apparently didn’t have a response to that so he just furrowed his brow in thought, looked toward the headboard of the bed then turned his gaze back to Scarlett.

“Point taken.” Tony smirked and nodded his head. “I guess I _am_ asking you out but it seems… silly to put it that way. I’m asking you to form a partnership of a more romantic aspect. Oh, here we go, here we go, I like this better: you can be my lover!”

“You would go with that term instead of girlfriend, wouldn’t you?” Scarlett rolled onto her side so she could face him properly, adjusting her arm to support her weight.

“You can’t really be surprised.”

“I’m not. Now, Stark…”

“Tony, don’t _do_ that again. I literally cannot do that again. You called me Stark so many times that I started to feel like it might be my first name. If you keep doing it I might have to change my name or go to therapy!” Tony exaggerated with a pout.

“It was force of habit, sorry. I tried really hard _not_ to use your first name for a long time. It was a pathetic attempt to prevent myself from liking you any more than I already did. You see how well that worked out. It’s going to take awhile to get used to calling you Tony.”

“It didn’t seem so hard last time we were laying here.” Tony patted the spot on the bed in between them, lost in his memories.

“You see, those were my hormones talking and well, they’re a lot more vocal about what your name is than I am.” Scarlett turned her gaze away from him, biting her bottom lip in a smile.

“Oh, I _like_ that…” Tony smirked and wiggled his eyebrows comically. “Couldn’t help but get all primal and call out my name.”

“Don’t start.” Scarlett pointed an accusing finger, not planning on admitting what truth there was to his jest. “As I was saying, you do realize, Tony that being a part of a romantic relationship means devotion and monogamy right? You looked up the definition of those words before you marched in here and started asking me out, I hope.”

“Yeah,” Tony nodded his head and then shrugged his shoulders, “I’m as surprised as you are, actually, but I’m not freaked out by the idea of it or _anything_. I mean, I’m a _little_ nervous because this is relatively a new experience for me. It’s not like I haven’t dated but the monogamy bit always struck me as… boring. But, I… not this time. I’m actually having a really hard time figuring out why but I’m not going to argue with it. Pepper says I shouldn’t argue with it at least. She doesn’t approve of this thing between us but, I’m a grown man and I don’t need Pepper to tell me who I can and can’t be with.” Tony laughed, recalling how Pepper had reminded him over and over how much trouble Scarlett had caused since her arrival. “You realize that this thing goes both ways, right? Monogamy, commitment… those things apply to you as much as they do to me.” Tony looked at her seriously, but his stomach was churning with guilt. He hadn’t told her about Scott like he’d sworn he was going to. Instead he’d avoided it altogether and decided _not_ to tell her entirely.

“I do realize that and I agree. Honestly the monogamy bit was no fun before but I can be okay with this.” Scarlett glanced down at the bed, playing nervously with the soft fabric of his comforter. She wasn’t going to say it but it was hard to imagine being with anyone else after all was said and done. Besides, it sounded too corny to say out loud. It wasn’t like her to be this way. “But if you understand what the implications of me staying here for awhile and you’re willing to put up with me while I try to figure out this mess in my head… then I want to stay. At least in the area. I might keep my own place just to have my privacy.”

“And?”

“I want this.” Scarlett furrowed her brow. “I tried very hard to manipulate our attraction to my advantage and I don’t want to do that anymore. And I’ve realized since I came here that I don’t know what to do without a cause. When I’m not doing something for someone else or for a paycheck… I generally feel lost. But this… this I’m sure I want. I know that much even if I don’t understand the reasons behind it so… I’m not going to argue. There’s no reason for me _not_ to stay.” Scarlett smiled when Tony’s hand brushed over hers on the bed and stopped her from playing with the comforter.

“Good, good… Very good actually. I mean… _really_ good.” Tony smirked and then started contemplating the possibilities. “We should do something to celebrate once you’re better. We can uh… go to a party, actually we could throw a party. You know, really show the world what we’re doing together. Tony Stark dating the mysterious brunette from the charity event? That’s… That’s pretty big news in social media. I mean since you wouldn’t let me do it _at_ the charity event and had to go and make a big stink about _not_ being my date.” Tony pouted as he let his fingers brush slowly over her wrist and forearm. It was nice just to be touching, even if it led to nothing more.

“That’s because we _weren’t_ dating then.”

“Oh, we were on our way there and you know it. Even with all that revenge crap in your head, you wanted to screw my brains out.” Tony smirked playfully. “I saw it in your eyes when you danced with me. I couldn’t figure out what that was at first, but you were panicking.”

“I am pleading the fifth on that one. That was a tough night for the two of us.” Scarlett laughed and swatted at his hand that was creeping ever higher up her arm. “Can I make a request? Before you go all crazy with the media.”

“That depends. I’m not really into wearing women’s underwear if that’s what it is. If it’s what level of kink I’m comfortable with, let’s develop a safe word right now because…”

“No,” Scarlett interrupted him with a scoff and wiped her hand over her forehead nervously. “Look, I know that you’re used to being in the limelight but I’ve gone out of my way to stay out of it. I was hoping that we could… avoid that social nonsense for a little while. If we’re making this official then it’d be nice if we could do it without flashing cameras watching us while we’re still trying to figure it out.”

“Why?” Tony furrowed his brow. The guilt stirred in his stomach again. Was she already doubting him and his ability to stay in a relationship? Did she want to test him out first? Tony didn’t like tests. He was ready to be faithful and he would prove it through the span of their relationship. What if she was still getting over Scott and was afraid to say it? If she knew he was alive, would she leave him? “I don’t have anything to hide from them.”

“No, it’s not like that.” Scarlett held her hand up defensively. “I’m not emotionally equipped to handle your paparazzi yet. So much has transpired over the last three days that… I’m still really overwhelmed. I’m not saying it’s going into hiding forever, Tony… Just until I’m comfortable in my own skin here. I don’t want some asshole reporter coming up to me and asking me how it feels to just be another piece of candy on your arm when I’m a really brilliant engineer and scientist and could probably kick his ass before he got his apology out. I think I need to handle one emotional hurdle at a time. Rushing into decisions and to conclusions has gotten me in too much trouble in the last few weeks.” Tony nodded his head in understanding but the underlying doubt was still running rampant through his mind.

“You’re not just another piece of candy on my arm, you know.”

“I do know that, Tony. You’ve already proved that to me.” Scarlett nodded quickly. She didn’t want to upset him by saying that but even thinking about being in a relationship was scary for her. Not to mention, every time she’d gone out in public since she’d escaped from MedCo she’d been pursued by them and had put his friends in harm’s way. There were many things Scarlett had to consider and she wanted to figure them out before she tried handling Tony’s press. “You make me happy, Tony.” Tony was lost in his thoughts and doubts but was brought back to life by her statement. Just like that, the doubt he felt was gone. He’d done the right thing by not telling her about Scott. This was clearly what the two of them needed.

“I thought I was a huge pain your ass to be honest.”

“No, in spite of your sometimes asinine behavior and my need to hate you, I still find myself smiling and laughing when I’m with you.” Scarlett sat back up and ran her fingers nervously through her hair before glancing back out the window. “I’ve never had that before with anyone.” Tony watched her in amazement. The sun had set over the horizon and Jarvis was dimming the windows for the night. He was surprised how much time had passed while they sat and talked.

Getting to his knees, Tony moved on the bed so that he was sitting behind her, and pushed her hair over her shoulder. She glanced back at him and offered him a small smile before she looked back out the window and at the waves crashing below in the darkness.

“I’ve never had that before either.” Tony kissed the back of her shoulder and closed his eyes, slipping an arm around her middle as he did. “But now it seems like we both do.” The guilt reminded Tony, once again, that he should let Scarlett know that Scott was still alive. It wouldn’t be real until she knew. He would keep thinking that she would abandon him for her ex-lover if she had the chance. But at that particular moment, Tony had far more important things on his mind.

Slowly he brushed his lips over her shoulder, and up the side of her neck. Visibly she shivered and goose bumps broke out across her skin. When he kissed beneath her ear and back down her neck, she closed her eyes to concentrate on his touch. Scooting even closer to her on the bed, Tony slipped his legs on either side of her and pulled her so that her back was against his chest. Turning her head to the side to look at him, he silenced whatever she had to say with his lips and kissed her tenderly. It was a strain on her neck, but one that was well worth it. Her lips fumbled and managed to grace his chin, which resulted in a surprisingly low moan from Tony.

He slipped his arms tighter around her, his hands on her stomach, slowly gripping at the cloth of her shirt. Scarlett urged her hand on top of his left wrist, and brushed her fingertips down over the back of his hand and over his fingers. Suddenly her heart was pounding in her chest, harder than she could remember it pounding in such a situation. It would’ve plagued her mind if she weren’t so distracted by his lips, and how hard it was to stay against them in this particular position. Her lips kept brushing over his chin and the scruff surrounding his mouth.

Tony didn’t seem to mind, in fact, it seemed to only convince him to take things further along. Her lips found his bottom one and sucked on it playfully, giving it a nip and going with the natural flow of things considering the way her lips had gotten there in the first place had been an accident. In return, Tony groaned, the chills moving down his back and making his pants fit uncomfortably. He shifted and adjusted his grip on her, his hand slipping against the fabric of her shirt he was gripping onto and slipping accidentally over her breast. Once his fingers had done so, he couldn’t stop himself from moving further. He groped and massaged her breast through her shirt, leaning harder against her now and urging her body to hunch forward just a little with the weight of him.

Scarlett tensed and urged her hand over his that was on her breast, not to discourage him but to slow him down or at least hinder him a bit. It was in her nature to make things harder on him. Tony’s lips pulled on her lower one just as she had done to him, a playful growl escaping his mouth as he did so. As far as he was concerned, he knew exactly where they were headed. Feeling as though her lungs weren’t getting enough air quickly enough, Scarlett breathed a bit faster, urging her hand away from Tony’s once she realized he was more than determined to keep it where it was. Even through the cloth of her shirt his touch excited her.

His fingers were surprisingly cold as they crept beneath the lining of her shirt and slipped upward over her skin, giving her goose bumps and the chills simultaneously. Leaning her head back against his shoulder, she urged him to keep kissing at her sloppily. His lips were addicting. Their kisses quickly became a messy clash of chins and noses which was perfectly fine with them. Scarlett’s lips brushed over the scruff on Tony’s jaw and it made her shiver to feel the stubble over her skin. Giving his chin a playful nibble she felt him respond in a way she didn’t quite expect. He bucked his hips against her backside and groaned loudly. Apparently his chin was a bit of a hot button for him.

“Do that again…” Tony looked as surprised as she felt, but there was a playful sparkle behind his eyes filled with intrigue. She complied and brushed her lips against his chin again but hesitated when his hands pulled her shirt above her breasts and left it there. He let both his hands touch over her chest, caressing her breasts through her bra, squeezing them and playing with them. She gasped and cooed at the sensation, arching her back and nearly forgetting all about what he wanted her to do in the first place. When his fingers started to creep beneath the fabric of her bra she snapped into action and leaned close to bite his chin.

The reaction was far more extensive than she’d expected it to be. Tony kissed her passionately, like an animal in heat. Her lips were quickly becoming swollen from the action, considering they’d had time to heal since the last night they’d done this. Scarlett urged her hand to his cheek and kissed him deeply in return, managing to keep up with his fevered motions while she felt him starting to rock his hips against her backside. The moan from Tony’s lips made her shiver, his voice giving her the chills all the way down her spine. Readjusting her position, Scarlett’s butt touched properly against Tony and she could feel just how drastic the reaction had been. He’d grown visibly excited and she couldn’t help but smirk in reaction to what she’d done. Just as she had been the last time, she was excited to know what she’d built up in him. Tony saw the recognition in her eyes, couldn’t help but flash a cocky grin, and then started to kiss at her neck again.

Deciding to play the tease, she rocked her backside slowly into him, feeling the way that he only grew harder with each motion she made. Nipping at her neck with that same animalistic fervor that had been instilled after the bite on his chin, Tony growled against her skin and kissed up to her ear. He left her shirt where he’d maneuvered it and braced her with one hand on her stomach, while the other started to creep down her leg and beneath the hem of her skirt.

His hand faltered when she adjusted her butt against his and rotated her hips back into him, surprised to find her own voice escaping her lips in a quiet moan. Encouraged, Tony gripped her stomach and continued to pull her skirt up, until his hand slid safely beneath it without tugging awkwardly. Scarlett reached down and urged the backside of her skirt from beneath her and pressed her butt once again against Tony’s hips, feeling the heat from the excitement she’d worked up in him rubbing against her even through his pants.

Closing her eyes to concentrate on the sensation of him against her, she was only partially surprised when she felt his hand slip between her thighs and brush against her panties. Crying out softly in excitement, she looked at him accusingly over her shoulder. He smirked, cocked his eyebrow in amusement then leaned to kiss her before she could vocally object to what he was doing. Maneuvering her panties to the side, he brushed his fingers against the more sensitive area of her body and felt her tense up, and could also feel that she was nearly as worked up as he had become. Brushing his thumb against her stomach he urged her to relax into him.

Still she rocked her hips back against his, her toes pushing against the floor to give her proper leverage against him. A groan against Scarlett’s lips as he sent goose bumps over her flesh once more. Tony urged his thumb to rub against that sensitive area between her legs and then after being sure she was okay with it, he pushed one of his fingers inside of her. Scarlett stifled a soft cry and instead exhaled desperately and held her breath afterward, letting her mouth hang open. Looking at Tony skeptically for a moment of consideration she let her eyes flutter closed, gripped onto Tony’s shoulder and just urged her body with the motion of his hand that was now working its way within her, mimicking the motion of what he was obviously ready to do with her.

Unable to concentrate on continuing to egg him on when he slipped a second finger within her and moved them a bit faster inside of her, while rubbing his thumb against her, she felt her toes starting to go numb. She was practically panting now with excitement, gripping at his knee with one hand, the other in her hair to hold it out of her face so it wouldn’t stick to her skin as it gathered sweat.

“Oh, oh… Tony…” Scarlett bit her lip to stifle any further exclamations of his name and instead moaned as the tension started to build up in an entirely different way than she had experienced with him before. It had been a long time since she’d allowed anyone to play with her quite like that. The tension continued to build and Scarlett hunched forward, hair in her face after giving up on holding it out of her way, her hips aching with the would be pleasure Tony wanted to give her. Watching her in amazement, Tony continued on, urging his fingers to curl as he moved them and licking his lips hungrily. The more he watched her reactions, the more he needed her. 

Gripping suddenly at his wrist, she pulled him to a stop, forcing him to remain still and stop taunting her. Tony complied, not the type to move too far if the person he was involved with wasn’t sure. Blinking his eyes tight, he tried to concentrate on a way to pull back his excitement but knew he was way too far gone.

“What’s wrong?” Tony slipped his hand away from her but made no effort to right her skirt. His breath was obviously heavy and he was struggling to regain his composure. Scarlett wasn’t used to the lack of control in sexual situations and wasn’t one to give it up so easily. In fact, it made her nervous to reach that level of trust that she’d have to share to give Tony what he’d been aiming for. On some level it scared her that if she hadn’t stopped him she would’ve hit orgasm and that was something that hadn’t been achieved in such a way by anyone else for a long time.

Instead of giving him a response, Scarlett turned in his grasp and kissed him passionately, slipping both her arms around her shoulders, despite her now awkwardly fitting clothing. Tony scooted further onto the bed so they’d be allotted more room and Scarlett climbed up to follow him, her skirt sliding back into its proper position as she did. He moved to lay her down on the bed but instead she climbed into his lap and kept him sitting upright. Not once did she pull her lips away from his. Slipping his tongue into her mouth, he intensified the kiss, holding his breath to only heighten the rush of adrenaline they were sharing. It was easy to get lost in the time spent kissing, and neither was sure if mere minutes passed by or if an hour disappeared while they were lost in each other’s touches.

Pulling her arms from around his shoulders, Scarlett tugged off Tony’s jacket, which he helped her shake away then tossed it off the side of the bed. Still not willing to part with his lips, despite her lungs objecting from the limited oxygen she was taking in, she started to work at his tie. Her fingers fumbled, but only for a second before she got it free and left it hanging underneath his collar. Instead of pulling it away, she started to work on the buttons of his shirt. She found it grossly unfair that he was less naked than she felt. Kisses were now accompanied by groans and whimpers of excitement and the growing need they were building for each other.

Pulling finally away from his lips, Scarlett gasped for breath, her cheeks red from lack of oxygen in combination with the heat they built up together. Reaching for the bottom of her shirt that was still awkwardly positioned above her breasts, she pulled it up and over her head and tossed it to the side. Tony watched her hungrily and moved to kiss over her neck but was stopped once again as Scarlett placed her hand against his lips. He nipped at her fingers and then couldn’t help but laugh quietly as she pulled his tie free of his collar and wrapped it around her neck, tying it in a loose knot.

“I could make quite a few dirty references right now.”

“Good luck getting laid if you do.” Scarlett smirked and watched as Tony leaned back on his hands, his eyes following the flow of the tie from her neck, down between her breasts and against her stomach.

“I’m just going to _enjoy_ this here for just a second…” Tony grinned from ear to ear and then leaned close to her again. “You know what would make this even better?”

“What?” Scarlett tilted her head to the side as she leaned closer to him, making like she was going to kiss him but not actually doing so and instead leaving her lips slightly parted and close to his. She let her tongue moisten her lips provocatively and watched as Tony sat, fixated on her lips before snapping back into reality.

“If you lost this…” Tony started to tug at the straps of her bra but was swatted promptly away. He pouted in response but then kissed her hungrily again, his arm instantly around her waist, groaning low and renewing his playful growling as he did. “I like when you make me work for it.”

“I like that you’re willing to work for it… _Oh…_ ” Scarlett gasped as he pulled her hips right up against his, so she could feel him throbbing beneath the cloth of his pants. If it hadn’t been for their clothing they would’ve been well along their way already.

“Surprised, are we? Haven’t we done this before? Am I really that astounding?”

“Are you really complaining?” Scarlett cooed and curled her toes on the bed, then slowly started to rock her hips against his, mimicking the motions of sex and making her stomach muscles do most of the work in the process. Tony took to kissing over her neck and shoulders, nuzzling the tie out of the way with his nose and kissing between her breasts, letting his scruff brush against the sensitive skin that met him there.

“Me? Complain? Not about this…” Tony kissed up to the strap of Scarlett’s bra and took it between his teeth, moving it off of her shoulder before kissing his way to the other shoulder and working on the other one while Scarlett continued to move her body against him in such a suggestive manner. She swore that if she continued like this, she’d be at her end before he even started. Something about him flipped a switch in her that filled her with excitement in ways no one else ever had.

Scarlett grabbed at the middle of his shirt and continued to pull the buttons free until finally his shirt was hanging off of him, warm from the heat they’d created. Distracted by Scarlett tugging on his shirt in an attempt to get it off of him, Tony helped her and threw it to the side where he’d discarded his coat earlier. Then before she could even try to get at it, he pulled his undershirt off and over his head. The arc reactor lit up the room and the lights overhead dimmed around them but didn’t completely turn off to set the mood. Scarlett brushed her fingers against his stomach and then back up over his chest, letting her nails slowly graze over his skin and the curvature of his muscles.

Tony couldn’t avoid the shivers and wiggled his chest in an attempt to shake them off to no avail. Scarlett brushed her fingers over his chest and the circular shape of his reactor, still treating it like a part of him, which for some reason filled Tony with pride. Returning his lips to her chest, Tony kissed and sucked on her skin until he felt something brush against his lip that he didn’t remember from the last time they were together. Nuzzling his nose against it just to make sure he hadn’t mistaken it for something else, he found it again; a patch of rough skin brushed against him. Pulling back he glanced down at her chest and strained his eyes to see the faintest scar tissue in the shape of his arc reactor in the center of her chest.

Scarlett was paying him no mind, brushing her fingers through his hair and kissing over his neck, returning the many nips and nibbles that he’d given her with his exploration. Her fingers wandered down his back, feeling the scars and muscles there and tracing them with her fingertips. Slipping his arms lower behind her, Tony grabbed her by her ass and pulled her closer against him, urging her to push her hips harder against his as she had done earlier. Something about finding the mark excited him further. It was touching that she had it, in some odd way. In his mind, he thought it had meant they’d become one in spite of themselves the last time they’d been together. He bucked his hips up against hers to further excite her, startling Scarlett away from the kisses she was leaving on his neck.

“Oh god…” Scarlett gasped, her face red and her stomach muscles tightening in anticipation of what they were on their way to doing. Glancing down at him, she realized what he’d found and how it had set him off and considered making a remark about how sentimental he could be at times.

Instead she chose to reach down for his belt and started fumbling with it. Before she could get it undone, Tony started kissing fervently over her chest once more, nipping at the scarred skin he’d found. He traced the outline of the reactor on her chest with his tongue, groaning against her skin. Scarlett leaned her head back, finding the air between the two stifling hot with passion and needing to breathe. Finding the agility in her fingers that she’d momentarily lost, she unbuckled his belt and then tugged it out of the loops of his pants and threw it off the side of the bed with the rest of his clothing. Things were heating up very quickly. Tony brushed his hands over the skirt that had fallen back into place and started pulling it back up and over her backside, unzipping it enough to get it up and around her waist and out of his way.

Hastily he tugged at her panties and started to try and get them off. Scarlett nearly jumped from his touch so close to a sensitive area and then grabbed him by his shoulders and pushed him backwards onto the bed and hard. They landed with a slight bounce and before he got the chance to retaliate, Scarlett kissed him deeply, pushing him harder into the mattress. Her hips were hovering dangerously over his, tauntingly. Sooner or later, she knew she’d have to give over the control that Tony was so obviously asking for but it didn’t mean she couldn’t stall the process. She was curious to see how far he’d go to get what he desired or if he’d give up and let her take the reins as men often did in those situations. Either way, they were both getting what they wanted.

Tony immediately urged his hands to her hips and started again at her panties. He wasn’t going to let her distract him so easily from the task at hand. When it came to what he wanted, Tony wasn’t the type to give up. Scarlett swatted at his hands but wasn’t quick enough to stop him. Before she’d gotten to him he’d tugged them down as far as he could to just above her knees. Breathing heavily, she pulled from his lips and was about to make a comment when he grabbed the tie around her neck.

Swiftly he grabbed her shoulder, the other hand still on the tie and pushed her onto her back. Climbing off of her, he urged her onto her stomach and she yelped in surprise. Heart in her throat, she hadn’t expected Tony to make such a bold move and attempted to sit up to get back at him. Tony was quick about his next movements. He unbuttoned, unzipped and discarded his pants along with his boxers in one swift motion. Scarlett could’ve sworn he hit a speed record in the process. Instead of letting her sit up as she intended, he urged her back onto her stomach.

Straddling her, Tony leaned to kiss over her back, slowly down her spine, over her bra clasp and down to where the skirt was still around her waist. Placing her elbows on the bed, Scarlett looked over her shoulder skeptically at Tony, though her heart was racing a mile a minute. She’d never had anyone push her that far to take that kind of control and the more she thought about it the more excited she became. And since Tony had shed his pants in the turn, she could see just what she’d done to him. Tony noticed her glance and then leaned back to press his hips down against hers, letting the length of him brush against her inner thigh with a groan. If she was that curious, he’d give her just what she desired.

Scarlett quivered beneath his touch and made a move to get back up so she could take action. Instead, Tony urged her onto her hands and knees and pressed his hips against hers again. After a poor attempt to stop herself from making a noise of pleasure from the contact with him, Scarlett turned her head to the side to look at him.

“What?” Tony groaned, leaning to kiss over her back again, brushing his scruff over her skin which made her shiver. He was smirking confidently but continued to pepper her warm flesh with kisses nonetheless. She considered telling him it was out of the question, but even his kisses were sending her writhing so she shook her head and narrowed her eyes at him playfully.

“If you mark up my back like you did to my chest, you will be _so_ sorry Tony…” Scarlett’s voice was as out of breath and haggard as Tony’s was and this only further excited him.

“I make no promises.” Tony nibbled at the skin of her back and groaned as she urged her hips to rock back against his, the friction between them intensifying tenfold. Kissing up her back, Tony brushed his lips just underneath the clasp of her bra before grabbing it with his teeth and artfully unhooking it. Instantly the bra fell away thanks to the assistance of gravity and the strap that had already been pushed off of her shoulder.

Scarlett pulled the bra off from where it was hanging awkwardly and tossed it aside, not caring if it actually made it off of the bed or not and just wanting it out of the way. Tony was way ahead of her and was sitting upright on his knees now. Scarlett arched her back provocatively and continued to rock her hips in a rotating motion against his. She could feel him throbbing against her and couldn’t help but gasp and groan. 

Without giving Scarlett any warning Tony adjusted himself against her and pushed inside of her. The sound of her cry and quivering of her hips set him off. With another push he moved until his hips met against her butt. Grabbing onto either side of her hips, he pulled her and held her close against him so she couldn’t move if she tried.

Crying out and hunching her head forward and closer to the bed, Scarlett bit her lip so hard in her attempt to quiet down that it nearly bled. A string of frantic curses escaped her lips while her body attempted to adjust to this particular position and sensation. It was weirdly like being new again.

“Don’t…” Tony groaned, objecting to the way she was trying to limit her voice. He wanted to hear her but was having a hard time finding his voice. His hands still on her hips he slid away and pushed into her again as hard as he had before. This time Scarlett gripped the comforter so hard her knuckles turned white and she cried out, her voice cracking.

“Oh damnit… oh, Tony… oh… _fuck._ ” Cursing under her breath, Scarlett couldn’t help herself as she continued. Once she’d let go of her attempts to keep herself quiet, she couldn’t seem to regain them. Every move he made felt completely different this way. Tony let his mouth hang open as he watched her, the visual stimulation almost too much for him. He wanted more. Hands still on her hips he started to urge himself within her at a slow rhythm at first before moving faster to watch the way that her body naturally reacted to him.

Scarlett bent her elbows and leaned down closer to the bed. The amount of vulnerability she felt in that position ultimately astounded her. Every sensation they built up together was enough to make her cry out and groan. She tried to urge her hips back against his as much as she could but found that she was very much out of control with him behind her. All she could really do was up the visual stimulation of what she was doing to participate. She’d spent so much time fighting Tony to stay in control and finally offered up her complete trust to him.

The tension was already building up rapidly inside of her. Her hips were starting to twitch and spasm in ways she couldn’t control as Tony relentlessly rocked his hips into hers.

“Oh, oh Tony…” Scarlett shook her head in desperation and pushed her hair back and out of her face.

“Scarlett, you’re so good…” Tony grunted as he continued to push his way inside of her, taking particular pleasure in the little involuntary sounds she made with each push of him within her.

Leaning down so her head was close to the comforter, her butt still in the air against his, she nearly jumped a mile when Tony’s hand came down to give her a playful spank. Shrieking in surprise, her hips jutted backwards against his and she quivered and cooed in the added pleasure, nearly writhing beneath him. Her movements had only further intensified things.

“That’s my girl…” Tony growled, watching her reactions to him only serving to further excite him. Rubbing his hand against the now pink spot on her butt he’d created when he’d spanked her, Tony watched in amazement as her tough exterior melted away for the first time since they’d met.

Scarlett pulled at the comforter, and turned her head to the side so she could watch Tony out of the corner of her eye as he moved. She brought her fingers to her lips and bit the ends of them, her body trembling with excitement and the anticipation of pleasure. As he continued his motions and started to speed up his rhythm, he gave her another playful spank before urging his hands to caress over her now sensitive thighs. She whimpered and gasped for breath as she started to lose control of the tension that was building up within her.

Tony leaned down to kiss over her back above the skirt caught between them, feeling the sweat dripping down his skin and seeing it on hers. Letting his tongue brush over the salty liquid on her skin he bit playfully at her flesh before kissing up to her shoulder. He was careful not to let his chest touch against her back, wanting to keep from marking her there as she’d requested. Just as it had been the last time, his reactor was unnaturally warm. He’d done a check up on it after the chaos of what she’d done after their last experience had passed and nothing seemed to be malfunctioning.

Reaching around beneath her, he grabbed onto her breasts to stop them from bouncing with their natural movements and continued to push his hips inside of her, but in a completely different motion since the leverage he had from on top of her is different than what he had before. His fingers caressed her breasts, brushing against them and squeezing them playfully as he continued.

“Oh, god I… oh…” Scarlett muttered, trying desperately to fight the tension building up inside of her but it was too much to handle. Finally she hit her breaking point, the pleasure flooding through her like a dam breaking. Her hips were unnaturally warm and moving more erratically with Tony’s motions. Tony groaned low and kept his hips going at the pace he’d built her up to. The sensation of her around him was enough to send him over the edge but he held his breath and concentrated so he could hold out longer.

“Come on, Scarlett…” Tony groaned, urging her hips harder against his, watching her body move at his command, considering she was too busy writhing in pleasure in front of him to continue doing so. “Say my name, baby… come on… say it.” Letting his hand trace down her back he gave her another playful spank which sent her jolting forward. Scarlett cried out again as the pleasure tore through her, crashing in waves over her and leaving her drowning.

“ _Damnit,_ Tony… oh…” Letting her arm stretch out in front of her she grabbed hard onto the comforters and urged her body to continue moving the best she could, her chest now against the bed as she moved. “Oh god… Tony… Tony…”

“Keep going, Scarlett…” Tony continued to move within her, pushing his hips harder against hers, though his body was in overdrive. He needed to give in and soon. Every sensation he felt was like lightning through his body, electrocuting every part of him and making him tingle. His touch was like fire on her skin, sending her continuously reeling with pleasure, every touch like a scorch.

“Tony…” She continued to whisper his name between passionate breaths, her pleasure seemingly lasting forever as the warmth simply continued to spread through her over and over again. The more Tony moved, the more it sent her reeling. It had never been like that before, not for either of them. Tony watched her crumbling beneath him into a mess of pleasure and excitement in wonder. Giving up on trying not to mark her back with his reactor, Tony leaned against her again and placed his hand on her stomach to help her tense up again.

He applied pressure there and urged his other hand to find hers where it was gripping the bed so tightly. Moaning against her skin, Tony let his lips brush over the side of her neck before peppering soft kisses over her sweaty skin. Slowing his hips down but rocking them in an upward motion instead, he continued on. Nuzzling his nose just beneath her ear he whispered against her.

“Oh, Scarlett… One more time.” Reaching his hand away from her stomach he tilted her head and kissed the corner of her mouth before starting to push his hips faster against hers. His hand was gripping onto hers, protectively, and she found herself making an attempt to lace her fingers with his. It was odd that something so incredibly naughty could turn out to be something completely romantic.

Before she could make any attempt to respond or even return his kisses, Scarlett was crying out with passion as her orgasm hit her a second time like a ton of bricks. The pressure had built up so quickly and broken just as fast that it overwhelmed her entirely. Her hips collapsed on the bed and Tony quickly fell with her, careful not to move away. He gripped hard onto her hand and then with another buck of his hips into hers, was blinded by the pleasure that moved through him like a shot.

His body was caught in a spasm of pleasure and passion as he rocked against her. Their bodies tangled in passion and orgasm, they moved together flat on the bed, barely able to breathe from how palpable and hot the air was around them. Whispering her name as he started to slow down once the wave of pleasure he felt began to slowly fade, he kissed down her neck and lifted his chest away from her back in hopes he didn’t mark her. Tony was still holding her hand and tightly at that. Scarlett had felt the hot metal of the arc reactor when he’d fallen against her but honestly wouldn’t have cared at that moment. Every bit of her felt too good to complain. Her toes were tingling and numbed, her thighs were shaking and trembling with every push and every breath they took.

The sound of him whispering her name over and over in her ear was just as sexy as she could have possibly imagined. He sounded exhausted, but satisfied, which summed up how she was feeling too. Finally, the two of them rocked their hips to a stop together. Lying still for a moment together on the bed, Tony brushed his thumb over the side of her hand before letting it go. He ran his fingers all the way up her arm to her shoulder. Tony caressed his hand over her back before slowly pulling his body away from hers. Scarlett lay still, breathing heavily and trying to collect herself. Slowly she released her death grip on the comforter.

Carefully Tony brushed his fingers over her thighs then tugged the skirt that had been trapped around her waist away and threw it with the rest of the clothing that they’d discarded in the process of their lovemaking. 

Scarlett didn’t bother to roll onto her back and simply leaned up on her elbows so she could pull away the tie that she’d wrapped around her neck. Her fingers were tingling and shaking so it took her several tries. Pushing her hair out of her face she turned to look at Tony over her shoulder. He was smiling, but looked exhausted. She was sure that the days prior were just as stressful for him as they had been for her.

But now that they’d finished up, Scarlett wasn’t sure what she should do. Tony tugged down the sheets of the bed and climbed beneath them, lazily covering up his lower half. Scarlett watched him, laying her head on its side and pouting as she rubbed her sore backside. It was definitely the first time a man had spanked her and gotten away with it so easily. Maybe Scarlett had just wanted to show Tony that he was worthy of her trust after the chaos she’d created for them both or maybe she really _did_ trust him and it wasn’t an act. Either way, the end result couldn’t be argued with.

“Come here…” Tony patted the spot next to him, signaling to her that it was okay for her to spend the rest of the night with him. Scarlett slowly got to her knees and crawled toward him on the bed. Stopping partway through she leaned against the bed and rubbed her tingling thighs. It felt unnatural to move after what they’d done. Yawning quietly, she covered her mouth and slipped beneath the covers next to him. It wasn’t in her nature to cuddle or snuggle after sex and never had been. Usually she laid down and went to sleep on the opposite side of the bed from the person she’d been with or got up and went on her way after the deed had been done. Sex had always been a means to an end, and had always nearly been destructive for her. But with Tony it was something completely different. It had never been destructive, even when she’d been trying to make it so. 

Scarlett got comfortable next to him and watched him with sleepy eyes. Through the confusion and passion of lovemaking, she’d forgotten all about the fog in her head and it renewed its stinging. Reaching up to touch the sore spot from where she’d hit it after falling on the stairs she winced.

“Let me take a look at that.” Tony nodded. Scarlett lazily readjusted herself and slid closer to Tony beneath the sheets. He guided her so that her arm was draped over his chest, and her head was close to his shoulder and in the perfect place to lay it down. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve guessed that Tony had pulled her there as an excuse to snuggle with her. Tony touched the sore looking spot and lifted her hair away from the wound. It wasn’t bleeding but it looked sore and irritated.

“Almost forgot that happened for a few minutes there.” Scarlett smiled softly before furrowing her brow at his touch on the sore spot, leaning away from his fingers.

“Well, you were drugged at the time.” Tony smirked and then let her hair fall back down, pushing it behind her ear as he often did. “I took the dressing off of it yesterday because it stopped bleeding. It seems to still be okay. Is it bothering you much?”

“I’m sure you did a fine job with it. To tell the truth I felt pretty sick when I first woke up. But it faded before we… ya know. It’s just coming back now. Probably the blood returning back to where it belongs.” Scarlett yawned and moved to scoot away but Tony had slipped his arm on her waist and urged her to stay put.

“If it keeps hurting, maybe we’ll call the doctor back to take a look at it.”

“I’m fine.” Scarlett assured him. Tony watched her, seeing the content look on her face. It felt odd to be so comfortable with someone in the silence, so Tony felt compelled to speak.

“So…” 

“So, what?” Scarlett smiled slightly and leaned her chin down on his chest. She was never one for pillow talk, but it seemed like it could be almost _fun_ with Tony. If they both tried hard enough and learned to adjust, maybe they could learn to be sweet, even.

“You’re going to be my girlfriend now, right?” Scarlett pretended to think about Tony’s offer. Girlfriend really _did_ seem like a juvenile term for adults their age, but she didn’t care. It was what she wanted and she had decided that getting revenge for the dead wasn’t worth throwing away her potential happiness with Tony.

“Yeah, I think I could do that. You’re going to have to deal with being my arm candy though. I’d prepare yourself if I were you.” Scarlett pursed her lips.

“Just like that, huh?”

“What can I say? The double orgasm convinced me. Made me rather pliable.” Laughing she leaned her head down on his shoulder and felt her body growing heavier. “Why am I so tired? All I did was sleep for the last two days.”

“Yeah, after being arrested, drugged, and nearly kidnapped remember?” Tony scoffed, watching her as her eyelids became too heavy to resist closing. “That’s enough to make _anyone_ tired, even you, Miss Bond.”

“I suppose. It still seems unnatural.”

“Did you say _I_ was going to be _your_ arm candy?” Tony laughed after a moment of silence. She nodded her head tiredly.

“You’re just going to have to deal with that.” Scarlett opened her eyes halfway and smiled at him tiredly. “And don’t think I’m _not_ going to get back at you for turning my ass red, you better watch yourself… I’m coming for you.”

“Well, you did, twice I believe. And don’t worry, I welcome the challenge.” Tony smirked and then gently brushed his fingers over her arm while she continued to get comfortable against him. It was an odd sensation to have a woman curled up against him and so perfectly at that. If he didn’t know better he would’ve thought that the spot there in the crook of his neck was made for her to rest her head upon. 

“Did you call me _baby_ when we were…?”

“I might have.” Tony shrugged the shoulder she wasn’t laying on and watched her. He felt strangely fulfilled with her there in his arms. Even if he screwed everything up by not telling her about Scott, that moment between them was perfect and he’d have that forever.

“I thought so.”

“Is that a problem, _baby_?”

“Oh, keep that up and I’m going to start calling you ridiculous pet names.”

“Bring it on sweet cheeks.” Tony smirked and brushed his fingers over her side. Scarlett was growing heavier against him, her breathing slowing drastically as the veil of sleep started to pass over her. “Get some sleep Scarlett.” 

“I promise I won’t leave you alone in the morning this time.” Scarlett whispered before giving into the haze clouding her mind. For once she wasn’t worried about nightmares or guilt ravaging her in her dreams. At least temporarily, she could celebrate that a day had gone exceptionally well and she had nothing to hide from Tony; well not anything that would affect him in any way. Most of their lives were still a mystery to the other.

Tony laid awake, watching Scarlett while she slept peacefully against him. Now that the passion and excitement of lovemaking had worn off, Tony was having a hard time putting his mind at ease. Minutes wondering turned into hours agonizing over how he would break the truth to her. Every time he closed his eyes he saw scenarios where Scott would come back and find her and Scarlett would never be able to forgive him for lying to her after lies had been what caused so much trouble between them in the first place.

But could Tony really risk losing what he’d managed to gain in the last few hours? It stung to think that she could possibly leave him for a man who she presumed was dead, but he didn’t think he could live with himself if he didn’t tell her the truth. He’d never had anyone he trusted romantically the way he was starting to trust Scarlett. The void that he’d felt ever since he’d returned from his time in captivity had started to fill and the idea of losing one of the bigger steps he’d taken toward a better life scared the hell out of him.

Then again, Tony had no idea _how_ to share the truth with her without admitting that he’d lied because he didn’t trust her to stay with him. Every way he considered telling her involved some amount of deceit being revealed. He was terrified she’d leave before he got the chance to really confess what he was feeling. On top of that, the things he was feeling were extreme and he was afraid he was jumping in far too quickly. Mind still reeling and feeling restless, he decided he’d get out of bed and give up on sleep for the night. He was exhausted but knew rest wouldn’t find him until he’d righted his wrong.

Doubt, guilt and lack of sleep did funny things to Tony. Being destructive had always been in his nature but he hadn’t done anything deliberately in a long time. Slipping on some clean clothes, he left the room in shambles from their lovemaking and went down to his lab, planning on working into the night. Instead, when he got down there he picked up the phone and got in touch with the same reporters who had questioned him the night of the charity.

Boy did he have some juicy gossip about the new woman in Tony Stark’s life. Tony had always had a way with words and he’d make every woman before Scarlett jealous via the press. He wasn’t sure what compelled him to do it but chalked it up to nerves and guilt. If Scarlett was going to reject him for another man, he’d give her ample reason to first.


	34. Combustion

The sun was shining down on Scarlett where she lay face down on Tony’s bed where she was still asleep and very comfortable at that. The sound of something electronic buzzing to life woke her up, causing her to jump awake and alert. Paranoia was unavoidable considering her past. Had the beautiful night she’d had been a really vivid dream? Maybe she hadn’t been safely asleep in Tony’s bed and she’d simply _wanted_ to be so badly that her mind had comforted her with what she couldn’t possibly have. Perhaps she’d open her eyes and realize she was in some test facility being poked and prodded by MedCo. Realizing at once that she was exactly where she expected to be Scarlett glanced around curiously. Though she was relieved to be in his bed, she was disheartened to see that Tony was nowhere to be found.

Where had he gone? Why had he left her? The first thing Scarlett did was worry, and not about herself, but about Tony. Had he been okay with what had happened between them the night before? Was he having second thoughts about monogamy? She somehow thought there was no chance of that. Some kind of faith in him had been built when he’d come to save her from the jail even after she’d betrayed him in one of the worst ways. Maybe he’d become sick overnight or perhaps called to arms as Iron Man. It would be weird getting accustomed to dating a so-called super hero. Sitting up slowly, Scarlett rubbed the side of her head which was still pounding, but nowhere near as horribly as it had been the night before.

“What time is it, Jarvis?” Considering that she’d perhaps slept in too long for Tony’s tastes she waited for the response from the computer but found none. It was unlike Jarvis not to respond to her and that made her nervous. “Jarvis, are you there?”

“I have been advised to no longer follow your commands, Miss Damien. My sincerest apologies.” Scarlett’s chest stung at first with betrayal, but she honestly couldn’t blame Tony for taking such precautions after she’d already broken through his home defenses once before. But why would he have suddenly implemented such measures considering how they’d made up? After she’d broken into his computers, she’d been limited but not ignored, by the machine. Scarlett was guessing she was lucky to even be made aware of the new arrangement. Then again, Jarvis likely wasn’t supposed to tell her that either. It didn’t make sense. Scarlett was becoming increasingly concerned that something had happened to Tony.

“Okay, I guess that means I can’t ask where Tony went or if he’s okay, can I?” Scarlett glanced toward the ceiling and received no response still from Jarvis. Shivering, she felt oddly cold and alone without Jarvis there to keep her company. She’d grown so used to the artificially intelligent omnipresent butler that it made her sad not to be able to talk to him anymore. Maybe if she kept earning Tony’s trust back little by little she’d be allowed permission to communicate with him again.

Turning her attention back to her surroundings, Scarlett saw that the source of the electronic buzz that had roused her from sleep had been the flat screen television mounted on the far wall coming to life. She ignored it at first and started looking around for the remote control to turn it off since she couldn’t request for Jarvis to do it. It was her guess that Tony had it set on a timer to turn on when he woke up in the morning so he could check the reports on his stocks and other news around the world.

The stories being told on the news didn’t catch her attention until she found the remote. She was about to pick it up when the familiar blond television personality appeared on the screen. The program switched from economical reports to something less serious and geared toward the masses.

“New in celebrity gossip, billionaire Tony Stark is in the news once again, much to no one’s surprise by now.” Scarlett froze and turned to glance at the television at long last. The female reporter chuckled like she’d said the funniest thing in the world. It wasn’t odd for Tony to be on the news, nonetheless the gossip portion, given his popularity but Scarlett had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was Tony trying to sabotage what they had before it got further than just explosive sex? She thought that was something _she_ was more likely to do than _he_ was. Trying to have as much faith in Tony as she could, considering their history, she continued to listen to the story in hopes it wasn’t going to say what she was half expecting it to report.

“Late in the night, our offices received a call from the genius himself with a juicy new story.” Pictures popped up on the screen of Tony and Scarlett at the charity event, which she guessed were the only ones available of the two. “Despite earlier claims that the woman on Tony’s arm that night was simply a business colleague, we’ve heard differently from Tony himself and pretty convincing details.” Scarlett’s stomach started to churn and ache as Tony’s voice was played on the screen over the montage of pictures of them together at the charity event. The throbbing in her head worsened when she realized she was holding her breath while she listened.

“Yeah, that’s Scarlett Damien. She’s really… fiery as hell and despite her objections she’s all over me when we’re alone. You know, even that night, when she told the reporter so rudely she wasn’t my date for the event and after the chaos of everything that followed, things got _really_ steamy. Real dynamite if you know what I mean. Not much I _couldn’t_ get her to do, to be honest… Those legs…” Unconsciously Scarlett pulled the silk sheets to cover hers nude form up, suddenly very uncomfortable being naked in Tony’s room on her own. She tried to tune out the rest of the report, fumbling around for the remote control but had lost it somewhere in the sheets when she’d pulled them up.

Tony’s voice drilled into her mind despite how she’d tried to ignore it, telling the reporters more than half of the dirty intimate details of the things they’d done in bed together, private details that Scarlett wasn’t willing to share, at least not at the moment. In general, Scarlett wasn’t ashamed of her sexuality or the things she’d done, but she could barely stand the idea of telling the reporters she was in an exclusive relationship with one of the most powerful men on the planet nonetheless dealing with having the public suddenly look at her like exactly what she’d work so hard _not_ to be: another slut on Tony’s arm with a pretty face.

Finally the reporter interrupted Tony’s ramblings about Scarlett’s sexual prowess to ask if this meant that he was in a serious relationship with someone. His answer was _“for the time being”_ then the reporter went through the necessary niceties of thanking him for the information but Scarlett had long since tuned it out. It sounded like Tony hadn’t any faith in the longevity of their relationship and it was like a slap in the face for Scarlett.

“So that’s that ladies. Tony Stark is _officially_ off the market, well, for now at least.” There was little to no faith in the truth of his claim of monogamy with the woman he’d described in the reporter’s voice. Scarlett wondered if she was wrong for having ever thought the man could be tied down to just _one_ woman. Hadn’t they discussed the meaning of a relationship the night before? Hadn’t he told her that he wasn’t afraid to be with just her, _only_ her? Scarlett half expected Pepper to walk into the room and tell her to get her things and leave like she’d heard Tony had done before with women he brought home for the night.

Hands trembling with nerves, Scarlett finally managed to turn off the television with the remote and threw it across the room afterward like it’d bit her. Pulling her knees close to her chest, she closed her eyes and rested her head against her knees. She had to strengthen her resolve, but her eyes stung with upset, something she wasn’t used to expressing over something that seemed so trivial in the span of things. Tears never suited her, particular not in matters of the heart but then again she’d never really made her heart that vulnerable before, not since her childhood. Blinking away any of the emotion she’d built up while she’d heard the report, she slowly lifted her head. Her stomach was turning and aching miserably. She was sure if she had eaten anything in the past few days she’d be throwing it up. After all that had transpired, her nerves were completely shot. Even the strongest person would’ve been shaken and worn down when all was said and done. It seemed as though Scarlett was finally reaching her breaking point when it came to stress.

The first thing Tony had done after being given her trust in such a dramatic way had been to break it and horribly at that. It was one thing for him to tell the public he was in a relationship and another thing entirely to go on and on about their sexual escapades. Her hands were still trembling when she finally got out of the bed. She found Tony’s shirt on the floor and slipped it on temporarily. Walking out of the room she hurried to the guest room to get into the first thing she could find which was a simple black dress, then hurriedly threw on the necessary undergarments as she did. Without shoes she hurried down the stairs and was stopped by Pepper who was smiling, though it was a forced smile, at her. When she saw the expression on Scarlett’s face, Pepper’s kind air quickly faded.

“What’s wrong?”

“Where is he?” Scarlett choked out, surprised at the upset in her voice.

“He’s downstairs. Did something happen? You don’t look well. Should I call the doctor?” Pepper, despite her dislike and distrust of Scarlett, was still concerned. She didn’t think Scarlett was a bad person, just that she wasn’t to be trusted.

“Oh, pretty sure Tony lost his mind.” Scarlett walked past Pepper without another word. As much as she respected the woman who had long put up with Tony’s antics before he’d become a better man, or at least Scarlett had thought he’d become a better man, she didn’t have time to talk it out with Pepper. Her heart was already breaking in her chest and if she didn’t call Tony out on what he’d done right then and there she was sure she’d run for cover.

Scarlett wasn’t as ready to throw away her romance with Tony as he apparently was. So she marched down the stairs and placed her hand on the security key to gain access to his laboratory. When entrance was denied, Scarlett slammed her fist against the wall in frustration and cursed loudly.

“If you don’t open this goddamn door right now Tony I’m going to break it!” Tony turned to glance at Scarlett through the glass wall that separated the hallway from his laboratory. He’d had his back turned to her initially, sitting in his computer chair and fiddling with something on his screen. She couldn’t see what it was and she didn’t care.

“Jarvis, open the door.” Tony turned away from her in his chair again and despite his nonchalance Scarlett could feel the heaviness hanging over his head like a thick cloud in the room. “What do you want?” Tony glanced sideways at her. She looked a fright, her hair a crazy mess, no shoes and her dress fitting her improperly since she didn’t take the time to fix it after she’d gotten into it. On top of that he could see that her eyes looked red and he knew it wasn’t from the lack of sleep.

“What the _hell_ is wrong with you?” Scarlett was once again surprised to be met with the lack of emotion from Tony. Where was the man that she’d gotten to know so well? How could he treat her so callously after what they’d been through together and what they’d agreed to the night before?

“A number of things, but what are _you_ referring to? You’re the one marching in here looking like a bad prom date.” Tony spun in his chair to face her head on, glaring coldly at her. The warmth she’d always seen in his peculiar colored eyes was gone and faded. Scarlett stood with her mouth agape, unsure of what was happening.

“How could you do that after what we’ve been through together?”

“Do _what?_ ”

“Don’t play like you’re naïve. You know exactly what I’m talking about. You said all that stuff to the media after…” Scarlett accused, filling her tone with anger to hide the hurt she felt.

“What, after you let me bend you over and teach you a lesson?” A smirk curled on Tony’s lips but there was no playful nature to it as there had been before. Something about the way he was talking felt hurtful and cruel. Behind his stone cold demeanor, he was cursing at himself mentally. He’d spent hours upon hours sitting at his desk and contemplating what to do next. After analyzing his feelings, he knew that this thing with Scarlett would lead eventually to heartache, at least in his own mind. Scarlett would someday find out about Scott, and even if she didn’t, she’d find some other fault in him and leave him and ultimately _hurt_ him. He’d almost forgotten why he didn’t do long term relationships. Giving up his life to another person was too hard for a man as selfish as him. But even when he’d hung up the phone after calling the reporter during the night he knew he’d made a terrible mistake.

Tony Stark also wasn’t the type to admit when he was wrong and instead he’d spent hours, without sleep, tossing the situation over in his mind. Lack of sleep had then clouded his judgment further and only succeeded in making matters more complex. Between what Scarlett had done to him after their first night together and how his heart was still filled with conflicting feelings, he did the only thing he knew how to do when it came to matters of the heart and women. He ran scared with his tail between his legs and fell back into his womanizing ways. Now with Scarlett standing in front of him, clearly in pain and not making any effort to hide it as she had done in the past, Tony struggled. Maybe he’d just confess what had driven him to this point. He rejected the notion immediately.

“I trusted you.” Scarlett wasn’t sure what else to say. Once again, she wanted to cover up and hide from the world. She felt used and discarded, which was not something Scarlett had ever felt in a relationship setting before.

“Look, I don’t see what the big deal is.” Tony got up from where he’d been seated and then walked confidently toward her. If he could try and channel the man who he’d been before Afghanistan then maybe he’d get through this. Deep down, he knew that part of him was long dead.

“ _You don’t see what the big deal is?_ Really?” Scarlett scoffed in disbelief.

“So, I told them about us. What’s the problem? Are you _ashamed?_ Are you _embarrassed?_ They’d find out at some point anyway so what does it matter?” Tony scowled and held his hands in front of him, proudly displaying himself. “I’m Tony fucking Stark and the media knows what I’m up to one way or another. I’d rather be the one to tell them then have some reporter sniffing around and finding the truth before I got a chance to say it.”

“I _wasn’t_ ready!” Scarlett placed a hand to her forehead and wrinkled her face in misery. It was taking every bit of her resolve not to scream at him and tell him what an asshole he was for breaking the already fragile trust she’d given him. “I’m not ashamed or embarrassed by what I did.”

“Well, maybe you _should_ be.” Scarlett could see the fear behind Tony’s eyes, but his words hurt more than she could describe.

“Despite you, I’m _not_ embarrassed by what we did. I’m not ready for the media because it’s dangerous with my history, Stark.” Scarlett was about to continue to explain her fears about MedCo. If he was simply scared of taking the next step of their relationship, maybe explaining _her_ personal fears would help to calm him down and allow them to find a solution to the mess he’d made.

“Well not everything’s up to you, now is it, Scarlett?” Tony interrupted before she could get another word out.

“I only asked that one thing of you and the first thing you did when you got the chance was betray your word.” Despite his continued aloof behavior, Scarlet attempted to plead with him and to get him to see why she was upset. She wasn’t sure if he’d see her logic at this point, something told her that he was at war in his head and he wasn’t going to let her take his hand and fight the battle with him. Had he felt this frustrated with her when she hadn’t told him the truth about MedCo?

“Well, then I guess we’re even aren’t we?” Tony narrowed his eyes at her. Scarlett was at a loss for words. “You break into my systems and leave me hanging in bed when I expected you to be there and _I_ broke my first promise to _you._ Doesn’t that wipe the slate clean between us?” Tony knew there was no excuse for what he’d done. He’d forgiven her for her actions and yet here he was holding it over her head like she’d deserved everything he was about to put her through.

Scarlett’s faith in them took a nose dive. Relationships had never been her thing. Even as a kid she’d never kept friends close by. She was kidding herself to think that she could’ve made this work with anyone, nonetheless Tony Stark. It wasn’t that she didn’t think she could fight for it, but she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to do that _and_ conquer the emotional battle in her head. She would have to do one or the other, not both.

“Is this how it’s always going to be for us?” Finally she spoke, her voice less angry and quieter than before, filled with pain. Tony could see the wound he’d inflicted and it hurt him just as badly to watch her go through it.

“What do you mean?”

“Are we constantly going to be trying to one up each other to see who can make the other hurt the worst until one of us gives?” Scarlett turned away and wiped her hand over her face nervously. The damage had been done. Wiping away the moisture in her eyes, Scarlett turned back to face him once she was sure there was no sign of it. “Well, Stark, you win.”

“You’re overreacting, Scarlett.” The heartache was written all over her face and he suddenly knew he’d pushed things _way_ too far.

“No, I’m not.” Shaking her head, Scarlett looked around the familiar laboratory and wondered if this would be the last time she saw it. She realized then that she had never actually considered leaving it. For the first time in her life, she thought she’d had somewhere that she wanted to come back to but now knew it was out of the question. “I’m so _stupid_.” Tony watched her fall apart in front of him, his heart dropping in his chest. “I don’t know how I thought this would work. I don’t know how I convinced myself that this made sense. In the end, you’re still you and I’m still me and…” Before she could finish and explain herself Tony walked closer, anger and hurt on his face.

“That’s right, I’m still the chauvinistic womanizer you thought I was when we first met. Of course you’re stupid, Scarlett. You really thought I’d change? For _you?_ How self serving. You’re an idiot for thinking I’d be anything else than what I was when you met me!” Tony pointed an accusing finger at her to which she backed away from. His face was contorted in anger and fear, where it’d come from, he had no idea. 

“That’s _not_ what I meant.” Scarlett wrinkled her brow in surprise.

“What, you think that I could really settle down for a woman like _you?_ ”

“Let me finish!” She shouted but Tony wasn’t listening to her anymore.

“You thought you were special? You’re just like the women before you: naïve and just as willing to take your clothes off!” This time Scarlett didn’t respond and merely covered her mouth so she wouldn’t start shouting angry words at him. He’d hit the nerve he was looking for and continued to press on it. “You’re pathetic for thinking I could _love_ you.” That was when it hit Tony. That’s why he was so afraid. Tony Stark, the man who couldn’t be tied down to one woman, was head over heels in love with someone he’d met only a handful of weeks prior. If she’d left him for someone else, it would’ve crushed him. In his heart he was already sure she was the only one for him and yet he was terrified to give up the control that would require. The anger left his face and he looked down at the ground. He saw Scarlett’s bare feet backing away from him.

“I’m sorry.” He exhaled quietly, amazed at the hurtful things he’d said in a rush of fear and emotion. “Scarlett, I’m _sorry_.”

“No,” Scarlett couldn’t believe he’d said those things to her. Where was the man she’d fallen for? Maybe she didn’t know him as well as she thought she had. Maybe she’d fallen for some elaborate attempt at revenge. “I’m an idiot.” She nodded her head and took another step away from him. Tony reached to grab her hand but she shook her head no and stepped further away.

“I didn’t mean it, Scarlett… I didn’t mean any of it!” Panicking again, Tony wasn’t sure what to say to undo the hurt he’d caused. “I love you. I _love_ you.” He pled, resting his hand over the arc reactor in his chest. It’d been something he’d been too terrified to think, nonetheless say out loud only moments ago and there he was just shouting it to her like his life depended on it. Still staring at him in disbelief, Scarlett knew deep down she’d be a fool to continue believing him at that point. But the words still stung. Why _couldn’t_ he have loved her? She would’ve loved him. She would’ve given him her whole heart. When it came down to it, she realized the night before that she would’ve done anything for him and now she’d have to come to terms with the fact that none of it had been _true_. She’d been made a fool of at her own game. “ _Please._ ” She hadn’t realized Tony had walked cautiously closer to her again. “Please forgive me.”

“No.” Scarlett shook her head, but her words were still hard to find and manage properly.

“I was panicked. Scarlett, I freaked out. You were trusting me and I… what if you rejected me or I screwed up or was assuming things… I was afraid you’d leave me.”

“So you said all those horrible things to what? Plead to my good nature?” Scarlett jeered, her voice still low and sounding weak. She didn’t care about looking fragile in front of Tony anymore. He’d hurt her and he _should_ feel bad about it.

“No, that’s not it. I thought if I pushed you away first then it wouldn’t hurt but I didn’t know I was…”

“Wait, _I’m_ the idiot?” Scarlett’s hurt was masked by anger.

“I sabotage things, it’s what I do. Just like you were sabotaging yourself before now… I…” Tony was having a hard time saying what was in his head, which was never the case before. No matter how he twisted his words, none of it could form the proper apology.

“Well, you did a damn good job,” Scarlett whispered. “You can’t say you love me and expect things to magically be forgiven. How am I supposed to believe you? One breath you’re telling me that I’m a slut and then in the next you _love_ me! You know why you can’t love me, Tony? Because love implies you’re something other than selfish.” Scarlett hissed in frustration and upset. How was she supposed to believe his confession wasn’t just Tony’s attempt to take what he’d done and make it disappear so he wouldn’t have to deal with the repercussions? She wasn’t going to take the verbal abuse from him. He’d hurt her. Tony had taken everything he knew about her and had twisted his words in design to cause her pain and push her away and it had been more than successful.

Tony’s face fell. He’d finally managed to confess what was in his heart and it didn’t work. Not that he could blame her. She had no reason to trust him and no reason to believe that he really _did_ love her. When he thought about it, it really did sound like he was trying to use that as way of an apology even when it wasn’t the case. Instead of pleading with her and trying to work it out he turned cruel again. The fear of being rejected had become a reality and by his own making.

“You’re right.” Tony shook his head, the anger and hurt he was feeling toward his stupidity and inability to deal with emotional situations exploding at Scarlett. “I _don’t_ love you. I don’t love _anything!_ Get the hell out! Get the hell out of my house, you have overstayed your welcome!”

“Tony!” Pepper had been watching for quite some time and had tried to stay out of it until that point. Tony pointed at his assistant threateningly which silenced her immediately. Starting to slowly approach Scarlett again he continued on his angry rant. She backed away from him as he spoke, feeling ill and unsure how to handle the anger being expressed toward her. It wasn’t like she was incapable of arguing with him and turning his words against him but the urge wasn’t there. She didn’t _want_ to hurt Tony anymore.

“Go run to your stupid little boyfriend, Scott, since you miss him so damn much!” The words were pouring out of Tony’s mouth before he’d considered saying them.

“Scott’s _dead._ ” Scarlett felt her back touch the glass of the wall as Tony continued to approach her. “And it was never like this with him. I never wanted him the way that I want you.” Scarlett whispered, in awe of how painful the situation had become but Tony wasn’t listening to what she had to say, she wasn’t even sure he heard her.

“I’m sure you’re pining for him anyway. You think I didn’t consider that? I’m not a goddamn rebound!”

“Would you stop yelling at me?” Scarlett shouted back in retaliation. Pepper was watching in stunned horror. She may not have been Scarlett’s biggest fan but she didn’t expect Tony to lash out at her like that.

“He’s _not_ dead! He’s in a hospital recovering in Africa. All that guilt you felt? Completely unfounded because he’s doing just fine. So why don’t you go run to him? I’m done putting up with you.” Tony waved toward the door angrily.

“Scott’s alive?” Scarlett was blindsided by this new information. If Scott hadn’t been shot then things were completely different. She could find out more about what happened with MedCo from him. But the situation at hand was implying that she’d run to Scott for a romantic fling which wasn’t the case. She wasn’t interested in being back with him but she did think she owed it to him to at least let him know that she was alive and fighting for them so he could move on just like she would be able to. Her mind was racing on top of everything else happening with Tony. She couldn’t properly comprehend what Scott being alive meant, other than the fact that Tony seemed to think it would change how she felt about him.

“Yeah he’s alive, I found his hospital records!” Tony shouted.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me that when you first found out?” Scarlett whispered, still trying to wrap her fragile mind around the situation at hand. Between the heartache she was feeling and the fear of the unknown, the idea of Scott being alive didn’t seem to matter in the grand scheme of things. She didn’t love Scott. She never had and she didn’t think she ever would or that she wanted to even try to salvage any romance between them.

“Doesn’t matter much now, does it? Who cares why I didn’t tell you? Get out! I needed a good fuck and you did your job well, didn’t you? Now you’re just as boring as any other stupid broad I brought back to bed. You think I still want to see you naked after that?” Scarlett couldn’t think about Scott with Tony yelling at her and twisting what they’d done to hurt her. It was the first time he’d ever told her she’d bored him.

Glancing up at him, she gave up on trying to hide how hurt she was and blinked away the tears that were forming freely now in her eyes. Somehow she knew he didn’t mean what he was saying but it didn’t make it okay that it was being said. She started to speak several times and stopped when she couldn’t find the right words. There was nothing she could say to fix the situation so instead Tony kept ranting.

“What are you waiting for, huh?” Tony stepped closer, staring down at her. It wasn’t true. She _wasn’t_ boring. His heart ached for her and being so close to her again all he wanted to do was kiss her, get on his knees and beg for her forgiveness. But if she didn’t want to love him after he’d confessed how he felt then why should he waste his time? “Would you rather me have Pepper throw you out like garbage or walk out on your own? You’re not welcome here anymore and _haven’t_ been for a long time! Just go! Walk away.”

Scarlett shook her head and pushed him away from her before heading toward the door. She was humiliated enough. She wasn’t going to cry in front of him too. Finally she’d opened herself emotionally enough to trust someone romantically and it’d been shoved in her face. Without a word she headed through the door and up the stairs, shaking from head to toe with anger and hurt.

“Scarlett…” Pepper felt awful watching the fight happen between the two of them. It wasn’t even much of a fight. Scarlett hadn’t thrown up walls or called out nasty words, it was just the man she knew hadn’t meant them screaming at her. When Scarlett ignored her and continued hurriedly up the stairs, Pepper turned her attention to Tony. “Tony, what the hell is wrong with you?”

“Don’t start with me, Pepper.” Tony watched Scarlett disappear and felt his heart ache painfully. He turned around toward his desk, unable to shake the anger and disgust he was feeling with himself. There was no foreseeable solution to the problem he’d created.

“How could you say those things to her?” Pepper wasn’t going to back down so easily.

“Get the hell out! Now!” Tony shouted, grabbing one of the paperweights off of his desk and tossing it in his hands. He then proceeded to throw it across the room in anger where it split into pieces and bounced across the room. Then he knocked his monitors off of his desk, the frames shattering and spreading across the floor. He wiped his hands over his desk and knocked his belongings to the ground in anger.

Pepper shrieked in surprise and started up the stairs and ran after Scarlett. Maybe she could convince the woman to reconsider and then get Tony to apologize. While she still didn’t forgive the woman for what she’d done she _knew_ Tony hadn’t meant to lash out the way he had. Running from the sound of things breaking and being thrown across the room, Pepper continued after Scarlett.

“Please, don’t listen to him! He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

“Leave me alone.” Scarlett sniffled and hurried through the house. She couldn’t collect her thoughts. Nothing made sense. In fact, she could barely breathe. 

She’d never had her heart broken before.


	35. Man Up, Suit Up

Walking down the long sidewalk that led through Tony’s extensive lawn and away from his front door felt like the most torturous hike Scarlett had ever taken. Chest stinging with upset and sorrow, Scarlett’s hands were trembling with an emotion she couldn’t quite describe. Physical ailments were popping up left and right in ways they’d never before manifested. Was it heartache doing these things to her? Perhaps the sorrow of being betrayed? Or the misery that came with her embarrassment? It wasn’t just the shame she was feeling, there was something far more complex happening within her body. None of those words felt right. 

Shaking her head so her hair would hide her profile from the large windows of the beautiful mansion she’d once found refuge in, Scarlett glanced up at the towering building that somehow seemed menacing. Stopping at the end of the long driveway of what she’d once thought was a symbol of wealth, beauty and technological advancement now cast a shadow over her life and taunted her. A mixture of feelings overwhelmed her. First she felt like a fool for having gotten into such a dramatic situation, then she felt ashamed for having become what she’d tried so hard not to be, and then she felt sad and lonely because despite it all she still wanted to wake up from a bad dream and find Tony lying next to her with some smart ass remark about having naughty dreams of him.

She hesitated to take her next step that would lead away from the property and considered what she was leaving behind. Tony had always been more than her target or the next job even when she’d been trying to convince herself otherwise. When she’d arrived there she’d been on a mission for revenge and had turned her life upside down to get it. Instead she’d found the first person in her life who had made her feel comfortable and happy. Choking on emotion in the back of her throat, she suddenly turned away and rushed down the street as quickly as her bare feet would carry her.

The house that she’d almost considered a home seemed to taunt and mock her as she stepped further away. While she knew it was in her head and it was the same place she’d been welcome in the day before, it plagued her thoughts. Hand over her mouth to stifle any pitiful sounds that might escape, clasping at her flesh, she concentrated on keeping the overwhelming hurt from manifesting into tears and sobbing.

Scarlett wasn’t the type for tears; at least that was what she kept reminding herself of over and over again over the past few days. Yet in her chest she felt the grip of anxiety on her heart, squeezing and strangling so tightly that she was losing the usually impeccable resolve she had been so proud of. The painful sting of tears threatened her eyes and she kept blinking them away in hopes the warm feeling in her face would fade and leave her with nothing but the anger she knew she should be experiencing. Even at her most terrifying moments, Scarlett had never felt this out of control.

Tony had said terrible things to her. If it had been a handful of weeks prior that he’d said them she would’ve laughed them off and put him in his place. It wasn’t like she’d never been called awful names before. But after the romantic moments they’d shared together, the words had been more like knives. He’d taken her already fragile trust and ground it to pieces then tossed it to the ground only to stomp on the very little that was left. 

Scarlett should have been damn angry and yet when she stopped to think about what had transpired she simply wanted to hold a pillow and sob until she fell asleep. It wouldn’t make her weak to sit and cry, she was only human after all, but she didn’t think she’d benefit from shedding tears over Tony Stark. He was a womanizer and she’d known it from the beginning. She had just never expected him to go to such lengths to humiliate her. Even as the thoughts flitted through her mind she couldn’t believe them. Tony wasn’t the man she’d read about. If she could see past the anger he’d shown her she knew there was something more. But the hurt was overwhelming the logical side of her mind.

Cursing she suddenly stumbled forward on the sidewalk at the bottom of the hill as she stepped on a particularly pointy rock. As much as her foot was now throbbing it offered her a slight distraction from her mutinous thoughts. Hopping around comically on her left foot Scarlett managed to regain her balance a few seconds later and once the pain had stopped pulsing through the pad of her foot she gingerly placed it back down on the ground. She hadn’t bothered with shoes or much of anything before she’d left Tony’s house and now realized what a rash decision that had been. She should’ve gone upstairs and at least grabbed shoes and her laptop.

But the opportunity had past and she wasn’t going to turn back to Tony’s house ever again. It was _Stark’s_ house, she reminded herself. Tony had been the man she trusted in spite of how desperately she had tried not to. Stark, on the other hand, was the man she had been after, the man she knew from the papers and the same man who had broken her heart.

Glancing around Scarlett found the nearest street lamp and leaned against it so she could look at her feet to see the damage done. On the pad of her foot, a sharp jagged rock was pressed into her skin drawing the tiniest bit of blood. The bottoms of her feet were discolored from walking on the sidewalk for so long. 

Pulling the pointed rock that had stuck in her foot slowly out of her skin with a soft sound of discomfort she tossed it aside and then leaned her head against the lamp all the while keeping her foot propped up on her toes so the sore spot would remain elevated. Closing her eyes Scarlett tried to focus on what to do next and where to go. There could be no dwelling on the past few weeks, only a way forward. It was the only thing she could think to do to keep from breaking down and crying against the lamp post. One look behind her and Scarlett knew she had to keep walking before her head would be cleared enough to find a solution. The beautiful mansion sat at the top of the hill, still staring at her and condemning her for becoming everything she’d fought so hard not to be.

Testing her sore foot she placed it down again on the sidewalk when she realized it wouldn’t give under her weight and continued away from the Stark house. She’d walk into Malibu and find a place to clear her head where she couldn’t see the mansion. Her foot still annoyingly pained, she continued to travel. 

The ache in her foot turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it provided a distraction from the depression dwelling in her mind and growing by the second. Before she knew it, she was in the busy streets of the beautiful town of Malibu. She couldn’t help but be reminded of the first night she went out with Tony and the panic attack she’d had when brought into the crowd near the club he’d tried to impress her with. Once again surrounded by people mingling through the streets Scarlett didn’t feel the panic at all. Apparently the post traumatic stress she’d experienced was fading out. Though Scarlett didn’t feel like she blended in anymore as she had always tried to due to the nature of her career.

Instead she felt singled out. Scarlett felt completely and utterly alone and not in a good way. What was so wrong with being by herself? It was something she’d been okay with since she’d left home at an early age in her youth. Being alone had always been a comfort for her. Her thoughts had never betrayed her the way they were now. Somehow, she’d gotten used to having Tony around and to having someone to joke with. Even if they weren’t saying anything, Tony had put on some music for them to listen to so they could work. The silence had even been nice between them. But now, even with the background noise of the somewhat busy street to keep her company, Scarlett felt lost and alone. Folding her arms over her chest, she felt cold even though the weather was relatively mild for that time of year.

Continuing through the city she stopped at a park and found a bench to sit on. The park was mostly empty, considering that the sky was growing darker by the second with clouds that threatened rain. Even the weather seemed glummer than usual that day. Scarlett had always liked the rainy weather, mostly because it had provided a distraction while she worked. People were always a little hastier and sloppier on rainy days. Snow was even better, humanity didn’t handle that very well. But now the clouds seemed to reflect her mood. Plus she’d be stuck in the rain with nowhere to go and no damn shoes.

The thought of going back to her old life seemed unnatural and out of place. Could she really go back to being a ruthless spy? It terrified her to think that it might not be a possibility. Sometime during the last two weeks, Scarlett had wanted to be more than that. Taking her seat, Scarlett rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Before she could figure out her next move she had to calm down. Despite the long walk and the soreness in her foot that was now throbbing, her heart was still pumping with adrenaline from the fight with Tony.

Not that it had been much of a fight. She hadn’t tried very hard to defend herself against his harsh words. When it came down to it, she hadn’t believed it was happening. The anger she’d once reserved for Tony had faded completely. But now that she was abandoned by him, the fuel for rage was slowly returning. Despite it all, Scarlett knew she could never really hate Tony even if she tried. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the pictures he’d kept of her smiling and the videos of her sleeping. Maybe somewhere amidst his anger, he’d hidden his real motives for his attitude. Unfortunately Tony had done a very good job of hiding his true feelings that morning. 

How had things gotten so out of hand? Leaning back on the wooden park bench, she let the cool grass sooth her sore feet. She’d have to get shoes somewhere along the line before she destroyed her feet entirely. How far had she walked? She had no idea, but it had been a few hours. If nothing else, Scarlett could still access her bank accounts so she could purchase whatever she needed once she figured out a plan.

Maybe Tony breaking her heart early on in their short lived relationship had been for the best. What had she been thinking with that anyway? Scarlett didn’t know how to settle down. There was no part of her that was going to be good at being a dedicated lover. For a fleeting moment she’d considered that her bond with Tony was so strong that the rest of the relationship would come naturally for them both and they’d work through their inexperience together. Now that she’d been thrown out of his Malibu mansion and had time to clear her head she knew it wasn’t meant to be. 

If that was the case, why did she still feel so sad? The thought of having gotten out of the water before she sank should’ve been comforting. Instead she wanted desperately to drown. It wasn’t like she’d physically been injured or assaulted so why couldn’t she swallow the frustration and hurt like she’d done in the past when things hadn’t gone her way?

She’d been cold and calculated for so long that she was almost ashamed that she was emotionally wounded. The heartache would fade with time, she just had to keep reminding herself to nurse the wound. Reaching to touch her chest Scarlett winced when she felt the raised skin in the shape of the reactor that had irritated her skin the first time she’d made love to Tony. With time, that scar would fade too and she’d forget all about it. Eventually it’d be a memory she could be proud to have gotten past.

This was a lesson Scarlett had to learn in order to move forward. The last twenty or so years she’d spent following a path and a very defined one at that. She had always taken one job after another and had rarely taken a break in between. It was inevitable that with such a tedious schedule that taking a break, even if it had been a guise, had caused her trouble. Scarlett had never taken a vacation in the past and if she had, it’d been because of a job. How many times had she fought with Scott about working while they were supposed to be taking a break? It had always felt selfish to Scarlett to lie around and waste the day in luxury when she could’ve been working. Then again, Scarlett had never had anything pleasant to do while she’d been lying around.

She was a junkie in some ways. Without work, danger, adrenaline and a purpose she grew stir crazy, destructive and confused. Her decision to stay with Tony instead of continuing to pursue MedCo had been the first non-work related and most selfish decision she’d ever made in her life. Never before had she done something so incredibly self serving and now the universe was throwing it back in her face to teach her a lesson.

Fate was something Scarlett didn’t necessarily believe in. She _couldn’t_ believe in it. If fate existed then hers was a sad one and she couldn’t accept that. Life was of her own making. Everything had always been in _her_ control and when things spun out of her control was when it got messy. Her job in Afghanistan, taking the job at MedCo, losing Scott, messing around with Stark; these things had all done her nothing but harm. Maybe she wasn’t meant for anything other than what she’d already had. Hadn’t working those jobs made her happy? Scarlett considered this and wondered if she was actually familiar with what happiness really meant. When she took away her job what did she really have? She didn’t even have _shoes_ at the moment.

Glancing down at her feet, she pushed the conflicting thoughts to the back of her mind. She kept track of the people who walked past without raising her gaze from the blades of grass. It was an old habit that she wasn’t sure she’d ever get rid of. Noticing people, their nuances, and their demeanor had been important to her survival but now it seemed annoying when she wanted to be left alone. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t stop noticing who was around her at all times, her points of escape and where the best places to hide would be in case of an emergency.

While she doubted MedCo would show up while she was moping in a park in Malibu unpredictably, she could never be too careful. They’d taken every other opportunity to come at her when she stepped out of the Stark mansion, so who knew if they were watching the house or not. Closing her eyes and listening to the fading footsteps on the opposite end of the park of some strangers taking their dog for a walk, she realized she didn’t care if she was found.

Let MedCo come. Let them take her away. She’d deal with that better than she could deal with the romantic nightmare she’d gotten into with Stark. Danger she could handle. The fear of death she could handle. But having her heart broken? That was a totally new ball game for her. Head against the back of the bench, Scarlett glanced at the trees overhead and sighed heavily. What would she do now that she wasn’t welcome in Stark’s house? She couldn’t work on the energy project anymore so her technical expertise would be going to waste.

Scott was alive, so there was that if she couldn’t think of anything else. But in the end, Scarlett had realized that she hadn’t much missed him despite her apparently misplaced guilt. Her nightmares had opened her eyes to how destructive and unhealthy the relationship with him had been. He wanted something she couldn’t give him and she’d required someone who would’ve supported her despite the danger she got into on a regular basis. Ultimately Scott had wanted her because she was smarter than him and pretty and that wasn’t the basis for a relationship. They weren’t compatible and no amount of changing would force them to be happy together. From what Scarlett could gather about relationships, they usually didn’t require a person to redefine themselves to make them work.

If she had to change who she was to be loved, then it wasn’t worth it in the first place. While Scarlett thought love was mostly a fairy tale and unrealistic, she knew it was supposed to be unconditional. With Scott there had been nothing _but_ conditions.

Was that why she’d thought things would work out with Stark? They were both so incredibly destructive that they had often contributed to the other’s issues and had resolved them together seamlessly. Having to shake Stark once again from her mind Scarlett cursed and ran her fingers through her hair. It’d be a long time before she could get Tony out of her mind, if she could completely. She’d never been so connected to another person in every way before and she wasn’t sure she’d ever stop thinking of him.

It didn’t matter. She had to remind herself over and over that no matter how they had clicked, no matter how explosive their kissing and lovemaking had been, their story was over and she had to move on. The book was closed and there was no sequel.

As it started to drizzle and the rain wet her cheeks, she knew what she had to do. The fog lifted from her mind and her purpose sat beneath it waiting for her. It was what she should’ve done in the first place instead of giving into Tony’s allure. She had to return to Africa and put a stop to MedCo’s destruction. She would never get the chance to live properly with them on her tail constantly. It was time for her to take the offensive and stop waiting for them to come for her. Scarlett would have to find them and give them exactly what they were obviously begging for.

MedCo would regret pursuing her. They would regret keeping her captive for weeks and they would most certainly regret replicating the plans she’d built under duress. It was the perfect distraction for her sorrow. While she was getting over what happened with Tony she would channel her anger and pain into her hunt for those who had put her in this situation in the first place.

Standing up, Scarlett mentally started to make a list of what she needed to do. She’d search for flights to several different places, eventually leading up to Africa. It was unlikely that MedCo was still located in South Africa where she’d been held but she would have to return there to speak with Scott in the hospital and to investigate the remains of the building where she’d been held. Any clues she found there would be better than starting from scratch. She had learned years ago to never take direct flights when avoiding being pursued. She’d change aliases in another country and make her way from there in attempts to throw anyone following her off her scent.

But first and foremost, Scarlett needed money and she needed to get out of Malibu. Standing up, she walked out of the park and toward the closest bank. She’d be able to hack an ATM easily until she could get her personal items returned to her at some point. On top of that she’d need another computer, a global phone, and some clothes.

Perhaps she’d pretend the last month spent with Tony had never happened at least until she was okay to think about it again. So, the few tears she’d shed finally dried, Scarlett started toward the bank and then the train station on the south side of Malibu where she would ultimately purchase a ticket to Los Angeles. Once there she would find a hotel, obtain the items required for her trip and then buy her plane tickets in the morning at the airport.

Scarlett would leave Malibu behind. She would leave Tony, Jarvis and Pepper _far_ behind. And most importantly she would abandon what she’d thought was destined to be love for the rest of her days. Her resolve was strong but the feeling of hurt and upset still hung miserably like a rock in the pit of her stomach.

Not that it mattered, Scarlett had always been _very_ good at pretending.

Scotch burned Tony’s throat as he swallowed the remainder of his glass in one gulp. He had his feet up on the dashboard of the hotrod that Scarlett had dented during their first night together in the mansion and was sitting amongst a mess of broken machinery and smashed prototypes. Once he’d calmed his anger enough to stop smashing things, which had only happened when he realized he had run out of things to break that were small enough for him to lift, he had taken to his alcohol again. What else could he do, given the situation?

Looking at the half empty bottle he’d started on, Tony felt sick to his stomach but not because of how much he’d had to drink. Even the damn alcohol reminded him of the woman he’d just thrown out of his house. Everything he looked at seemed to remind him of her in some way and he simply couldn’t shake the feeling. 

The lab looked like someone had broken in and taken a sledgehammer to everything he owned. But Tony didn’t care. He was angry and upset. Scarlett broke his heart! He had told her that he _loved_ her and she had thought it was an attempt at getting out of a mistake he’d made.

And a stupid mistake at that! Why did she care so much that he’d made their relationship public? Now he’d have to go on record saying that he was just kidding anyway considering that she’d walked out on him. No, she _hadn’t_ walked out. Tony had _kicked_ her out and with some force. At least he thought he did. What he’d done in anger was a blur of hurt and frustration and had been done in the heat of the moment.

Throwing the bottle of scotch out onto the concrete floor he heard it smash and the liquid splatter across the ground. Scotch wouldn’t help him anymore. All it seemed to do was remind him of the nights they’d spent drinking together and how he’d held Scarlett in his lap as she’d so tenderly cleaned his wound. From there his thoughts went to the soft touch of the chiffon gown he’d bought for her that night. 

He could still practically feel the silk of her skin and taste the saline sweat dripping down her neck from when they made love. Cursing again, Tony smashed his head repeatedly against the cushioned seat in his hotrod. It didn’t hurt much but it helped him stop thinking, once again, about what he’d screwed up and thrown away. Smashing his hand against the steering wheel, Tony honked the horn of the hot rod repeatedly until the frustration finally melted out of him. Ultimately he wound up with his head leaning against the horn, the loud beep echoing through the half destroyed laboratory. Once the impression of the horn against his head started to ache he knew he had to move.

Lifting his head up, Tony realized that there was no level of booze that was going to fix what he’d done. Once again, his usual back up plan for when things got bad had failed him completely. He’d broken his pattern of destruction and wasn’t sure how to move forward. Looking down at his hands he saw his knuckles bloodied and his fingers scraped up from the path of broken electronics strewn about the room.

He didn’t care. What did it matter anyway that he was bloody or had destroyed thousands of dollars worth of equipment? Where did he go from there? He’d kicked the problem out hadn’t he? So, in theory he should be feeling better and ready to throw himself into his work. What _had_ he been working on before she’d so rudely interrupted his life? The energy project, of course and locating the weapons that had been illegally obtained from his company.

“Oh, _right._ ” Tony grimaced as he stepped carefully out of his car. The floor was covered with broken bits of glass and metal which he stepped artfully around. It wasn’t the first time he’d destroyed his lab in anger and it most certainly wouldn’t be his last. In fact, it was such a frequent occurrence for entire rooms to be destroyed in his home that he was sure the contractor he’d been hiring to rebuild for years had Tony Stark for his only client. He couldn’t work on the energy project again without going through the legal nonsense of getting Scarlett’s name removed from the project after having gone through the trouble of getting it added on in the first place.

But then again, the converter _had_ been Scarlett’s damn idea and design so he’d have to get her consent to continue using it. If Pepper hadn’t thought of that possibility before she’d gotten Scarlett to sign paperwork, he’d have to find a way to get in touch with her to move forward with it. And more than anything, Tony wanted an excuse to get back in touch with Scarlett. Walking over to the couch at the far end of the room, seemingly one of the only things untouched in the place, Tony sat down and held his hand over his eyes.

It didn’t feel right to work on the energy project without Scarlett even if he’d gotten the proper permissions. She’d practically been his inspiration for _everything_ over the last three weeks. Every meeting he’d gone to, every plan he’d made for the next phases of the project he’d had her in the back of his mind telling him that he was a good man and any decision he made she trusted would be the best. Never before had a woman so influenced him in his creations. It had been invigorating. But now that Scarlett was gone, the thought of her constantly on his mind was more like a plague.

“Hey, Jarvis?” Tony’s voice sounded odd to his own ears. It was raspy, like he hadn’t talked in days so he cleared his throat. He’d done a lot of nonsensical yelling while he’d destroyed his possessions and guessed that it’d made his throat raw. Scotch probably hadn’t helped the situation. Still, it didn’t seem to matter that he’d hurt himself in the process. 

“Are you done breaking things then, sir?” If Tony didn’t know better he would’ve thought Jarvis sounded bitter and angry. Sometimes he’d regretted creating an artificially intelligent service system.

“For now,” Tony grimaced. He couldn’t think about the mess he’d made in the garage just yet. It wasn’t like he’d be the one to clean it up anyway. Pepper would take care of it for him. Pepper _always_ took care of it for him. He’d almost _forgotten_ that over the last few weeks when Scarlett had been taking care of him instead. And _she’d_ done it without being paid or asked to. Granted, it wasn’t exactly the same but he wondered why she would do that if she _hadn’t_ loved him.

“Should I contact Miss Potts to start the clean up?” Jarvis still sounded distant and irritated with his owner.

“Not yet.” Tony glanced down at his bloody hands. He wasn’t ready for Pepper to yell at him for what he’d done. Plus he wasn’t ready to apologize to her either. If he recalled properly, and he was sure he did, he’d said some nasty things to her as well before she’d run out of the room after Scarlett. Sometimes, despite his genius and despite his addictive and charming personality, he didn’t understand social interactions. Put something electronic broken in front of him and he could fix it hands down without a problem. There was _always_ a way to fix an object he’d broken. For example, his laboratory would be as good as new by the end of the week despite the chaos he’d created inside of it. All it required was some money and the right help.

But what he’d done to Pepper wouldn’t be as easy to repair as his stuff was. He’d say he was sorry but she’d still be nasty to him for a few days until the whole thing had blown over as she always was. What did she care what he’d said to Scarlett, anyway? She didn’t even _like_ Scarlett! How many times had he been told to get rid of her and she was no good by his assistant and now she was going to be _mad_ at him for doing exactly what he’d been asked to do. People didn’t make sense, _especially_ women. They were so complicated. It seemed like every time he thought he was doing the right thing, he’d somehow screwed it up again.

Then there was Scarlett. He understood her better than he understood most women, but she had still managed to confuse the hell out of him. What chance was there that she would ever forgive him for the awful things he’d said and done? What did men usually do in these situations? Maybe he _would_ have to watch a few chick flicks with Pepper to better understand how to fix these sorts of problems.

Was he supposed to buy flowers? A pretty dress? A stuffed animal? He could afford just about anything to try and buy her forgiveness but something told Tony that money wasn’t going to make up for the hurt he’d caused. Part of him was glad that money wouldn’t fix it. Scarlett had been one of the first women who hadn’t thought his money was a very big deal. In fact, she’d often told him what a selfish ass he was for spending it so frivolously.

“Then what is it I can do for you?” Jarvis finally spoke, the irritation in his voice still evident.

“I don’t like the disdain in your voice right now, Jarvis.” Tony attempted to joke with the computer, but fell flat. He didn’t feel much like joking at the moment.

“We all have deal with things we don’t like very much, sir.” Jarvis responded haughtily much to Tony’s surprise. Wide eyed and staring ahead of him, Tony chose to ignore his computer’s snarky remark and cracked his neck by leaning it from side to side.

“Can you replay what happened earlier for me?”

“I would rather not.” Jarvis didn’t follow orders, once again.

“Look, I need you to replay the damn thing. I was seeing red, I don’t remember the asinine things I said. Not entirely at least.” Tony sighed heavily. “I just remember I was a real dick.” He muttered under his breath. Jarvis seemed convinced by these words and a holographic screen appeared in front of Tony, replaying the scene from the moment Scarlett had tried to get into the laboratory that he’d locked her out of.

He’d completely alienated her from the moment she’d woken up that morning. Not only had he chosen to break her trust, but he’d done it in a way that had made her feel unwelcome in his home. Maybe if he’d just broken her trust he’d have been able to earn it back a little easier. Leaning forward and shaking out his sore left hand, Tony watched the playback of the video in front of him.

Of course she hadn’t believed him when he told her that he loved her. He’d shifted gears so quickly that the only one in the room that knew the truth was him and perhaps Jarvis. His computer seemed to know much more about what was happening in his heart than Tony did. Then Tony hid his eyes behind his hands as he listened to the rant he’d gone on and on with after Scarlett hadn’t responded to him the way he’d hoped. The guilt he’d felt for not telling her about Scott had manifested in all the wrong ways.

If he’d just told her flat out what he’d found she might not have freaked out. And there she was, even then, trying to tell him that she didn’t _want_ Scott. Instead of listening he’d just yelled and yelled at her and called her all sorts of awful names that he had rarely used outside of drunken arguments.

The video stopped after he’d screamed at Pepper and Scarlett had practically run out of the room in terror.

“Pause, rewind.” Tony waved his hand in front of the screen to control the video. “Stop there. Zoom in.” Using his bloodied hands, he stretched the screen so he could get a better look at Scarlett’s face. He’d never seen her like that before and he’d spend a good chunk of his free time staring at her. What was happening to her at _that_ moment? Were there _tears_ in her eyes threatening to escape?

Not only had he broken her trust, which he was now sure she didn’t hand over lightly, he’d broken her damn heart. How was he supposed to fix that? He’d had everything he wanted for a few hours and threw it away because of some stupid insecurities and conflicting feelings. He saw the moment where things had gone horribly wrong and had chosen to ignore it and make it worse. If he had just stopped to look into her eyes maybe he would’ve seen how his words had ripped into her like a knife.

“Damn.” Tony wiped the screen away from his vision and it disappeared entirely. Leaning his head in his hands he sat lost in thought, trying to decide what he should do next. Going after her was something that kept popping into his mind but it seemed pointless. She’d never forgive him for what he’d done but then again he wasn’t sure he _could_ give up that easily on her. Tony was stubborn and even though he wasn’t good at apologizing or even admitting that he was wrong, he didn’t easily give up the things he wanted.

Was what he’d said to her in that brief moment true? He was sure it was. For once there were no second thoughts or doubts about that one feeling he had for her. Tony loved her. He _loved_ her and there was no more denying it. Now that he’d come to terms with the realization he was glad for it. It didn’t scare him to be in love. In fact it was a relief to know that he could feel such a thing. He was starting to wonder if he’d been capable of anything more than lust. Considering how damn good he was at lust, love was something completely new and was actually pretty exciting. Well, for a brief moment it had been exciting until he realized the woman he was in love with was likely never going to trust him again.

He’d always thought that love would be incredibly hard, but now that he knew what it was, it didn’t seem like it. It made sense to him and he hadn’t had to change his life around for someone either as he’d always expected to have to do. Everything had happened so naturally that now that Scarlett _wasn’t_ in the house he felt lonely. He’d gotten used to having her around for even the simpler things and now that he sat alone in his mess with bloody knuckles and the after taste of bitter scotch on his lips, he felt terrible.

His house would never be the same without her. His life would never be the same.

“Tony?” Pepper’s voice sounded cautious at the other end of the room. The glass panes along the hallway had been broken thanks to his tantrum earlier in the day and Pepper was stepping cautiously through the broken glass, a clear look of displeasure on her face. Apparently she did not approve of the mess that he’d made in his fit of anger. Once again, Tony didn’t care. It was his stuff and if he wanted to break it then no one had any room to complain.

Tony wasn’t sure he was ready to apologize to Pepper yet. Apologizing to her didn’t seem very important. He’d just let the love of his life walk away. No, he’d thrown her out after humiliating and embarrassing her. Somehow he’d managed to use everything he knew about her to destroy her. His chest was hurting more and more by the minute. The reactor burned annoyingly and he banged the back of his beat up hand against the metal.

“Oh, damnit,” Tony whispered instead of responding to Pepper, placing a hand to his forehead again. Pepper continued through the mess in the room and made her way over to Tony now that she was sure his anger had faded and he had long since stopped throwing things. Tony felt the couch sink next to him as Pepper sat down. Much to his surprise, she didn’t yell at him and she didn’t scold him. Instead she placed a gentle and comforting hand on his shoulder and sighed.

“What did you _do_ , Tony?” There was a level of concern in her voice that Tony hadn’t expected. Turning to look at her curiously and letting his hands hang down at his sides, he decided there was no reason to keep up appearances in front of his assistant. She’d already seen him at his worst, so what was the point of saving face?

“I fucked up.” Tony moistened his lips and wiped his hand over his face again nervously before gritting his teeth and inhaling sharply.

“Yeah, that I figured out on my own.” Pepper grabbed his hand away from his face and started wiping away the caked up blood from the scrapes he’d created while he’d had his fit of anger. “You didn’t mean all of that stuff you said, did you?”

“No, of course I didn’t,” Tony muttered. “I was upset and I just kept talking when I should’ve just shut up. It was like angry, hateful vomit and I just kept spewing.”

“Gross.” Pepper winced, hoping to relieve her friend’s stress by being at least a tiny bit playful. When it didn’t work, Pepper continued to work on his hands. She knew if she didn’t do it, then it would go untended to. What worried her most was that Tony couldn’t even joke with her.

“You don’t have to do that. You should probably break my nose or something actually. I mean… don’t because that would be wrong and I’d fire you but…” Tony drifted off, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smile but quickly falling into the same look of misery he’d worn for most of the day.

“It’s okay, Tony.” Pepper smiled slightly. “I knew something was wrong with you when I heard you yelling. Come on, you think I don’t notice that stuff by now? Last time I missed when you were drowning and practically begging me for help and that won’t ever happen again.”

“There’s a reason you make the big money here.” Tony grumbled, hunched forward with his eyes closed. Pepper chuckled and patted Tony on the back before starting to clean at his hands again. The two sat in uncomfortable silence until Jarvis whirred to life and brought up a screen with some text on it.

“Sir, Miss Damien has purchased a train ticket to Los Angeles International Airport.” Jarvis announced overhead without provocation. “The reservation is in her name and will be leaving shortly. There are no flights booked under the same name.”

“Why does that matter? I didn’t ask you to look for that.” Tony blinked his eyes open and tugged his sore hands away from Pepper who tried not to look annoyed that he wasn’t letting her help him.

“Because you have to stop her from leaving,” Jarvis spoke clearly but didn’t follow up with any further reasons.

“I’ll be damned if my virtual butler is in love.” Tony glanced over at Pepper. “Can he do that? He isn’t supposed to be able to tell _me_ what to do.”

“He’s right though.” Pepper avoided eye contact with Tony. It was clear she still didn’t approve of the relationship but she knew somehow that it was what would make Tony happy and that was something she wanted to see.

“Jarvis is _right?_ So now you’re _both_ telling me what to do?”

“You have to after her, Tony.” Pepper nodded resolutely. After what she’d watched that morning, she had no doubts in her mind.

“Why?” Tony sounded desperate for a reason.

“Because I have never heard you tell anyone you loved them before.” Pepper was smiling and Tony whined in annoyance.

“Why did you have to be around for that part?” Tony pouted and wiped his hand over his mouth again.

“It was sweet.” Pepper couldn’t hide her smile.

“Yeah, right up until the moment where she rejected the hell out of me.”

“She didn’t reject you, Tony. You confused her.” Pepper laughed, trying to reason with her friend.

“It doesn’t matter, Pepper.” Tony rolled his shoulders and glanced over at the spot built into his laboratory that the Mark armor would assemble when he summoned it to. Was he seriously considering going after her?

“Why doesn’t it matter?”

“You saw what I did to her. She’s never going to forgive me after that. I wouldn’t forgive me if I were her.” Tony looked away from the only clean spot in the garage and groaned in misery.

“You forgave her for breaking _your_ trust, against my better judgment if you recall.” Pepper reminded him.

“That was different.” Tony glanced at the spot where he’d cornered Scarlett and practically screamed at her until she’d run up the stairs. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to forget about that. Maybe he’d redesign his lab to try and avoid reliving it every time he looked at the door.

“How so?” Pepper scoffed in disbelief. “She manipulated you, used you, stole your things and then expected you to get her out of jail. That seems just as bad to me.”

“No, first of all she thought I was the one who nearly killed her and she didn’t want me to get her out of jail. The only reason I even knew she was there was because of Jarvis.” Tony hung his head again. “She asked me not to tell people we were together last night. I got nervous. Her ex didn’t die like she’d assumed and I thought maybe she’d want to go back to him when she found out or maybe she was ashamed to be with me given my reputation. It’s stupid but… it built up.”

“Tony, you do realize why she didn’t want to tell people right?” Pepper furrowed her brow but smiled, partially amused.

“No, I’m still confused by that actually.” Tony furrowed his brow and placed a hand to his temple. “Jarvis, I need aspirin or something. My head is killing me…”

“She was scared, too. You geniuses sometimes… you don’t see what’s right in front of you.” Pepper laughed and then got up to get Tony a bottle of water while Jarvis brought him down aspirin as requested. “She didn’t want to jinx what was happening with you by turning it into every other media disaster your love life has been. And she’s probably scared that you’ll get hurt by those creeps still after her.”

“Oh, damnit!” Tony cursed again, smashing his hand on the couch and then shaking it when it stung in pain. “MedCo! What the hell is _wrong_ with me? Why didn’t I think of that? It’s so obvious… oh damn…”

“Again, sometimes you geniuses don’t get it.” Pepper was smiling at him, hoping that her words had made some impact at long last. “You were scared of losing someone you _love_.”

“That worked out really well, didn’t it?” Tony rolled his eyes and swallowed the aspirin followed by an unnecessarily large gulp of water then flopped back against the couch and pouted.

“Don’t get comfortable, you have work to do.” Pepper got up from the couch. “And so do I. This place is a disaster. We have to put a punching bag or something down here because you can’t keep doing this Tony. Eventually you’re going to destroy this beyond repair.”

“That’s not a bad idea. The punching bag thing that is. I don’t like the idea of destroying it beyond repair.” Tony watched Pepper starting to straighten things up but didn’t move from his spot on the couch. “What work do I have to do?”

“You know already what you have to do, don’t play dumb.”

“Why would she forgive me? It’s a waste of time.”

“Because she loves you too, Tony.” Pepper stopped after she picked up Tony’s desk chair. “Why else would she have been so hurt?”

Tony stared at Pepper and thought about it. When he’d watched the video playing back of what happened he’d seen the hurt in her eyes and heard the distress in her voice. She had trusted him and he’d never considered why. Maybe it was as hard for her to admit she was in love as it was for him. Getting up from his spot on the couch, he dusted off his jeans and then started toward the only clear part of the floor in his laboratory.

“Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir.” The computerized butler sounded hopeful.

“It’s time to suit up.”


	36. Confessions of a Broken Heart

Scarlett stared down at her bare feet, dirty against the metal floor of the train that was rushing along the tracks to take her to Los Angeles. She’d managed to obtain enough money for the train ticket from an ATM via some less than conventional means and was contemplating how she would obtain the rest of what she required to get her plane ticket. International flights on short notice were no easy feat, not to mention her passport was still somewhere in Africa. For someone like Scarlett there were always ways around that, but it wouldn’t be easy on such short notice. It would be too hard to get out of the country by the end of the day which was fast approaching, so Scarlett figured her best bet would be to get a hotel for the night and spend as much time as she could awake and planning her next move.

Despite how focused she seemed to be on the new task at hand and on her renewed goal her thoughts kept drifting to the time she’d spent in the Stark household and the things she’d done with the infamous Tony Stark. Cursing her emotions for getting the best of her, she straightened her back and looked around the train in hopes of distracting herself with some people watching. 

Grimacing she turned her attention to the people in the car with her rather than the train itself. Scarlett wasn’t a big fan of public transportation, particularly trains and commercial airplanes. There was too much that would be beyond her control when she trusted someone else to bring her to and from. It felt too much like herding cattle to her. If there was an emergency on the train she would be at the mercy of its engineer with little she could do to take control, short of hijacking the train. 

As good an engineer as she was, she hadn’t studied trains and knew nothing of their make other than the basics. It would be stupid of her to try and take control of a dangerous situation on the train. Then again, such events were rare and unlikely. Scarlett couldn’t help but be paranoid after everything that MedCo had put her through. It was unfortunate that she was coming to expect the worst.

There would always be ways for Scarlett to stop the train if necessary but they would be plenty of work and incredibly dangerous to boot. On a speeding train there were no exits that didn’t require causing an immense amount of pain. Ninety miles per hour on a slim track wasn’t the ideal speed at which one would evacuate. 

Seated across from her was a woman playing a word game on her cell phone. Scarlett wasn’t surprised, it was a sight seen far too often. Men and women were so consumed by the tedium and monotony of their portable electronics that it was almost soul sucking. At the time, Scarlett didn’t even have a cell phone and it was the first time that she’d ever wished that she’d had some soul sucking game to distract her. Not that Scarlett was one to put games on her phone, she’d always avoided such things.

The curly haired woman with pretty tan skin paid her no mind and looked rather tired so Scarlett turned her attention to the only other occupants on the train; three younger men who looked like they were on their way to a concert of some kind. Judging by their outfits of all black with various dark sounding band names on their shirts accompanied by various reapers and soul sucking monsters, she guessed they were going to some sort of heavy rock show. 

Their eyes were sunken in and they were laughing about something out the window and Scarlett could tell by the glaze over their eyes that they were higher than a kite. When she’d first stepped on the train they’d acknowledged her and tried to get her attention but she’d given them the cold shoulder so sufficiently that they had disregarded her. Turning her attention away from the young men she glanced out the windows of the train and grimaced. There was absolutely nothing nearby to distract her thoughts from the negativity that had filled up her day. She _missed_ Tony, plain and simple and even though she tried, she wasn’t able to stop missing him. Hell, she missed Jarvis just as much as she missed his creator. It was hard to think she might never see either of them again.

Why hadn’t she stood her ground in the basement and tried to make the torrid relationship with Tony work? 

Because she couldn’t force something to fit into places that clearly wasn’t meant to be. At first it felt as though life had been trying to push them into the other’s arms to show them how things were truly meant to be as one. But as things transgressed, life started to unravel their plans and pull them further and further apart. Eventually it became destructive. A relationship with Tony Stark would ultimately annihilate her. 

Besides that, MedCo was searching for her and violently at that. They’d made it clear they would stop at nothing to get to her and let no one stand in their way. It had been incredibly selfish of her to put her desire for Tony ahead of the potential devastation MedCo could cause in her name. No matter how many times she told herself this, it still didn’t make the damage fade.

Slamming her fist lightly against the seat on the train, Scarlett once again tried to focus her thoughts on something other than the horrible argument with Tony. What had happened between them was for the best and she knew it. If she’d continued on the romantic path she’d started on with Tony then MedCo would’ve kept coming after her and eventually he would’ve gotten hurt because of her in the long run. Without Tony there to distract her she could focus on what was really important. Even though she’d discovered that Scott hadn’t perished in the desert in Africa and no longer felt obligated to get revenge for him, Scarlet knew MedCo still possessed the drone plans she’d developed under duress and had a taste for her blood on top of that. Why they still needed her after she’d created a drone, as flawed as it was, for them was beyond her but she wanted to find out and put a stop to it.

MedCo would _regret_ messing with someone like her. She doubted that the company could’ve known about her less than legal background before they’d hired her. Perhaps someone on the underground, where she used to find her work, would be able to help her. If MedCo knew about her history, then perhaps they had gotten in touch with some of her old contacts to find out more about her. If it took turning back into the cold and heartless woman she was before she’d met Tony and his friends then she would do it. But what if she _couldn’t_ be that woman anymore and her attempts fell short? Sure it was easy to theorized that she could do it, but the reality was she had no idea how to.

The fear struck a nerve and chilled her to her very core. What if she couldn’t do any of what she planned to do? What if that part of her had been left in the ashes of the building that had been destroyed? Maybe somewhere in the desert lay her strong resolve buried amongst the rubble and ruin of her old life.

Closing her eyes and shaking her head in dismay, she felt her hair fall in her face as it often did. Tony had always been there to push it away when it happened, like he had some kind of radar. He’d either tuck it behind her ear or push it over her shoulder only to have it fall back in her face and she couldn’t help but smile. Angrily, Scarlett pulled her hair away from her face, missing several strands and having to reach back several times to grab it all. With quick hands she twisted her hair into a bun and then slipped it together so that it wouldn’t fall into her face again. Every time she thought about Tony she’d do something to defy her thoughts of him in hopes of warding them off in the future.

Hearing the announcement overhead that they were ten minutes out from the first Los Angeles station and a few stops from the airport, Scarlett prepared the few things she’d obtained in Malibu so she could get off the train and find a hotel for the night; preferably one with a bar so she could drown her sorrows in a drink before she collapsed in a lavish bed.

Just as she was readjusting in her seat the wheels of the train screeched horribly, metal against metal squealing and grinding together and causing sparks to fly higher than the windows. Scarlett instinctively braced her feet against the floor of the train and reached overhead to grab onto the metallic bars provided for those who were traveling long distances to store their luggage. The force of the train stopping at an unnatural pace nearly sent her flying despite her grip overhead. Her feet left the ground, but she held fast to the bars overhead and managed to keep from falling over but she could hear the other people in the train yelling in distress.

Eyes wide, Scarlett tried to pinpoint the source of the sudden stop of the train by glancing out the windows but there was nothing to be seen that far back behind the front of the train. Whatever was stopping the train it certainly didn’t feel like the brakes. 

Lights flickered overhead then went out completely. Darkness engulfed the train except for the dim light left of the fading day filtering through the tinted windows. The horrible squealing became accompanied by screams of horror and fear from the people inside the train who were simply trying to avoid injury. At first she’d been unable to hear anything except for the horrible squealing. Thankfully it seemed like most people within the train had the same instinct to cling onto something as Scarlett had and from what she could tell, no one had sustained any serious injury.

Finally all went quiet in the train and it slammed to a stop, thankfully not slipping off the track or onto its side. The screaming of those around her died down and Scarlett was left in the darkness and silence that remained. After a terrifying second left considering what had happened, Scarlett got to her feet. Emergency lighting started to glow to life one strip at a time along the pathway on the floor. It was an eerie scene, but Scarlett knew there was no time to waste.

“Jarvis, what’s my ETA?” Tony flew toward the lights of the train chugging along in the distance. Catching up with it had been much more of a feat than he’d expected. He wasn’t sure how far he was from the first train station in Los Angeles but he couldn’t risk offering a place for Scarlett to run away from him. It wasn’t exactly a romantic way of thinking but he had to have the higher ground when it came to talking to her. Their relationship had never been about leverage, but it had suddenly become important. She wasn’t very likely to forgive Tony on first glance so if he could remove any routes of immediate escape it would help his case immensely. Tony knew if anything else, he couldn’t allow the train to reach the station.

“You are about ten minutes out, sir.” Jarvis responded through his helmet, targeting the weak points on the train as if battle ready. He had no intentions of attacking the train, but it was still handy information to have. Plus, the Iron Man suit was built as more of a weapon and less of a tracking device. Tony made a mental note to consider a better identification system within his suit for further search and rescue purposes.

“Good, good…” Tony muttered. He still hadn’t decided what he was going to say to her and how he was going to apologize for what he’d done or make it make sense but he knew that if he didn’t at least try then he’d regret it for the rest of his life. It would’ve been a hell of a lot easier to stay home and pretend everything was okay. But what if this thing he had with Scarlett was his only chance? 

Something deep within him knew that Scarlett needed _him_ as much as he’d realized he’d needed _her_. That wasn’t something that was easy for him to come to terms with and while the fear and apprehension were still tugging at his nerves and begging his logical mind to return to the bottles of scotch and wine in his home, he pressed onward.

“Shall I contact the conductor aboard the train, sir?” Jarvis inquired once Tony hadn’t given further instruction to follow. Tony hadn’t considered _how_ he’d stop the train quite yet. He’d simply known that he had to stop the train to get to Scarlett and that had been all that mattered. When left to the last minute, he usually came up with something genius. Tony was starting to get nervous; he hadn’t come up with any brilliant ideas. Maybe he could get the conductor to trigger the brakes and turn on the emergency lights so that he could have a moment to get to her before the station. While he doubted anyone would go against protocol for him without some steep negotiations that Tony did not have the time for, he thought it was still worth a shot. The worst they could say was no.

“What the hell, go for it.” Tony figured that it couldn’t hurt for him to at least try to contact the man or woman in charge of the train in hopes of getting some cooperation.

“Good decision, sir.” Jarvis echoed in his ear. “You are now online with the conductor of the train.”

“Thanks.” Tony cleared his throat and then spoke in a commanding voice, catching up with the train and flying at speed with it. Putting on the thrusters a little higher, he caught up to the first car and kept speed with it. “This is Iron Man, are you there?”

“Iron Man? Is this some kind of joke?” A quiet and scared voice picked up hesitantly on the other line.

“If it is, then I’m not laughing. I need you to stop the train.”

“What? What’s wrong? Is there something happening? A bomb? Or a… terrorist?” The conductor stuttered, fear thick in his voice over the transmission.

“Man, everyone assumes the worst with me don’t they? No, it’s nothing like that… I just need you to stop the train Pretty please? Pull the brake so that it stops before the station.” Tony implored. He was trying to think of a good reason that could convince the conductor but was drawing a blank. It was doubtful that they would stop the train because the love of his life was trying to move on after he’d broken her trust and crushed her heart.

“It’s not that simple Mr. Stark…” The conductor was hesitant, like he wanted to help Tony, but knew he couldn’t.

“Of _course_ it is. You get on your little radio and tell them you have an emergency and you pull the brake. They go through protocol and I say I’m sorry at the end of the day. It works out for everyone, if you’ll just _help_ me.”

“That would put all sorts of commuters at risk! Do you know how many trains would have to be stopped and postponed if I don’t make my way to the station on time? Schedules are a precise thing.” The conductor sounded apologetic but relieved that there was no immediate threat to his train. “Besides we’re not that far from the station. I can keep the doors closed when we reach the station if you need me to. Is there someone on the train? What could Tony Stark possibly need from us?”

“I need you to stop the train _now,_ okay?” Tony wasn’t thinking rationally, plus he didn’t much like hearing the word no from _anyone_ even though he was sure that stopping the train wasn’t as simple as hitting the brakes on a car.

“Look, if I slow down this train in the middle of the track it’s going to throw off the whole schedule. Besides at this speed? It’s going to cause more damage than it’s worth… The track could buckle from the force!”

“I need you to stop the train!” Tony glanced down at the train beneath him again then decided to take matters into his own hands. Swooping around power lines he evaluating the damage that would be done if he stopped the train dead in its tracks. It was dangerous, but he needed to do it.

“Why is this so important to you? I can inquire to my bosses and we can lock up at the station just like I said.”

“I’m looking for someone aboard that train and I need to find her before she gets the chance to run. It’s important. I can’t tell you why, but it’s damn important so I need you to stop the train so I can talk to her without giving her a chance to run away!” Tony was getting more frustrated the closer they got to the lights of Los Angeles.

“Is she a fugitive?” The conductor of the train sounded excited to be part of the action again. Tony could imagine that he was trying to decide whether or not he would be on the news from having to deal with Iron Man.

“No! I just… I need to _talk_ to her, okay?”

“You know, you could probably call her… Did you try that?” Tony groaned and rolled his eyes in response.

“If you don’t stop this train then I’m going to stop the train myself and trust me that’s a _hell_ of a lot messier.” Tony was done screwing around with the conductor of the train. He started to target the train, speaking to Jarvis in his helmet and ignoring the conductor. “Contact the authorities and transit service. Let them know there’s about to be an incident and I’ll pay for the damages that follow.”

“ _What?_ I’ll throw on the brakes! You’ll destroy the railing…” The conductor panicked at the idea of the train coming to a halt. 

“If you had just thrown on the brakes in the first place I wouldn’t have to do this!” Tony disconnected contact with the driver of the train in frustration.

“I highly recommend that you reconsider waiting for the train to reach station, sir.” Jarvis sounded apprehensive.

“All power to thrusters.” Tony ignored his comment and then flew ahead of the train at break neck speed. Looping through the air he started back toward the speeding train. “If I let this train get to the station she’ll get away Jarvis, you _know_ she will. I can’t lose her.”

“All power to the thrusters, sir.” Jarvis responded once he’d considered the options. It wasn’t hard to realize that Scarlett would likely not give Tony the chance to explain his earlier actions unless cornered. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if she attacked him and treated him like an enemy with the way he’d talked to her.

Flying at full speed Tony aligned himself with the front of the train and held his gloves in front of him and then suddenly turned to face it. Sparks were flying from the brakes that the conductor had thrown on when he realized that Tony had been serious about stopping the train by force. His gloves hit the metal of the train and initially the train jolted backwards from the force of the suit. The Mark VII buckled under the pressure of the speeding train and despite the full throttle of the thrusters in Tony’s suit, the Iron Man weapon moved with the momentum of the train that had slowed considerably.

“Power depleted by twenty five percent.” Jarvis’ voice sounded slightly distorted and alarms flashed in front of Tony’s face.

“Don’t _care_ Jarvis, keep pushing.” Tony gritted his teeth. Despite the boost in power that Jarvis provided, it wasn’t enough to stop the train entirely. He needed more leverage. Swinging his feet down onto the tracks, Tony braced his footing and used the power that had gone into the flight stabilizers to help stop what remained of the train’s momentum.

Pieces of metal flew up as the Iron Man suit slid backwards along the track. Yelling while he pushed his suit to its limits and the warning lights continued to flash in his vision, Tony felt the train finally coming to a stop at long last just as he was about to give up. The lights inside of the train compartments flashed off one by one while sparks continued to fly as the train compartments slid together. Thankfully the force wasn’t hard enough to cause any damage. Despite the fact that the train wasn’t moving anymore, Tony let the Mark VII push onto the train just in case. His nerves were on edge. The train cars creaked and the dim emergency lights came on and illuminated each compartment just enough to see inside. Tony finally let go of the front of the train and waited to make sure it didn’t continue moving before he exhaled deeply with relief.

“It appears that the train has come to a complete stop, sir.” Jarvis broke the intense silence and started to calculate the damage done to the suit and the train.

“Thank you, Jarvis.” Tony chuckled half out of breath, though that had been obvious to him. “Smart ass.”

“Transit authority has been alerted of the crash and is on their way to assess the damage while further scheduled trains have been rerouted to other stations.”

“You’re the best, Jarvis.” Tony felt the sweat drip down his forehead before he leaned his hands on his knees and hunched forward to catch his breath. He’d have to assess the damage done to his suit later in his attempts to stop the train. His muscles were aching with soreness already from the effort it’d taken him. Right now, he had to find Scarlett before she ran scared.

“Just get her back, sir.”

Scarlett waited for the train to completely stop moving before she placed her feet back on the ground and steadied herself. The train seemed off balance but steady enough for her to walk without causing damage. Grateful for the emergency lighting since she didn’t have any supplies with her Scarlett slowly started through the train to assess the situation. The woman across the way from her was looking around panicked with tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Hey, are you alright?” Scarlett helped the woman to stay steady in place before guiding her to sit back down. “Are you hurt?” When the woman shook her head in a negative response, clearly too fear stricken to respond, Scarlett helped her to the other end of the train where the three men who were on their way to a show were making sure they hadn’t lost any of their things in the abrupt stop.

“What the hell happened?” One with a shaved head and tattoos going up his neck asked her.

“Do you think we hit something?” They rattled off questions, sounding shaken but more curious than anything. It seemed everyone was looking to Scarlett for answers she didn’t have.

“I don’t think so. There would’ve been more damage if we’d crashed into something. It sounds like the conductor threw on the breaks. Maybe the tracks were blocked.” Scarlett peered out the window again and didn’t see anything that would cause them to crash and was worried. She didn’t believe her own conjecture and fear churned in the pit of her stomach while she imagined the various violent scenarios that were about to unfold. She was damn tired of being caught without something to protect herself with. 

Could MedCo have found her because she used her real name for the reservation on the train? Stopping a train didn’t seem very inconspicuous for a company that was trying to lay low and avoid press. Then again, neither did attacking high society personnel at a very prominent and widely publicized charity event. Scarlett was beginning to think that MedCo didn’t much care who they bothered in their pursuit of her. That worried Scarlett more than she could let on.

“What do you think it was then?” The woman curled up on the seat sounded fragile but was finally able to speak through the shock.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. I’m going to start gathering people and sending them back to this car so we can evacuate once I’m sure it’s safe.” Scarlett paced and sighed heavily.

“…are you not wearing shoes?” One of the younger men asked, brushing hair out of his eyes. Scarlett shook her head and waved her hand before she started out of the car. There was damage done to the doors so she had to pry them open with her hands. It was too much for her to do so the three young men helped her pull them open.

It took only a few minutes to empty the nearby cars and to lead their occupants to one place but Scarlett managed it fairly quickly. As she was about to continue on through the train cars to find anyone else that may be injured or frightened, Scarlett was stopped by an elderly woman who offered her the shawl she was wearing to wrap up the hand she’d bloodied trying to open one of the doors between cars. Instead Scarlett wrapped it around the woman’s shoulders and tied it carefully. There were sirens in the distance so Scarlett decided that it was time to address the people she’d already found with instruction.

“Look, I’m going to head toward the front of the train. I need you guys to work on the back door and try to get it open. It looks like the cops are on their way. So once I’m sure it’s safe I need you to move in groups of two out the back door.” Scarlett pointed behind where she was standing.

“What about you? Should you really go alone?” The younger woman who had finally calmed down responded.

“What if something bad happened?” Scarlett was bombarded with questions by curious and worried patrons of the train and slumped her shoulders. She would have to quickly alleviate their fears before she could continue on with what she needed to do. Civilians really did always complicate things.

Tony circled the train from overhead and contemplated his next move. He’d have to find Scarlett in the long and extensive train which was something he hadn’t thought out. She could be in any one of those cars.

“Jarvis, I need you to scan the train for me. How many people are in there?” Tony muttered, trying to think of how he could locate her.

“Fifty nine, sir.”

“Any guess which one of them could be Scarlett?” Tony stopped his circling when Jarvis brought a map of the train in front of his screen, the heat signatures lit up so that he could evaluate them in search of her.

“I’m afraid that there’s no real way to tell which one is Miss Damien.” Tony grimaced and glanced over the heat signatures which were moving slowly through the train. “What’s that big mass at the back end of the train?”

“A large gathering of people it would appear.”

“Well yeah, but what are they doing back there?” One of the heat signatures stood apart from the others and suddenly Tony realized what must have been happening within the train. He’d started a panic inside of it and someone was trying to calm down the occupants and organize a proper escape.

“If I could take a guess sir, I would think that Miss Damien is trying to keep the train’s passengers safe from whatever stopped the train so suddenly. They must think they’re under attack.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Tony ignored Jarvis as he continued on to explain that Tony had likely scared the living daylights out of the people on the train who were likely just commuting to and from work or social gatherings.

“What is it you plan to do?” Jarvis asked when he realized that Tony was no longer going to acknowledge him. Tony guided the Iron Man suit toward the train that was filled with people. Firing up the lasers on a low level he pointed at the top of the train car and cut a large arc shaped piece of out of the roof. There were screams from below him in the train of panic. He could clearly hear Scarlett’s voice from inside now that he’d breached the surface.

“Everyone remain calm and get to the opposite end of the train!” Tony was nervous simply hearing her talk. What if she told him to go to hell? Then again, he _deserved_ to have her tell him where to shove his ego after how he’d treated her. He’d preyed on her fears and broke her spirit. Scarlett would be a woman he’d have to chase to prove his loyalty and Tony had decided before he’d put on his suit that she was well worth the pursuit.

Grabbing onto the part of the roof of the car that he’d destroyed, Tony pulled the metallic sheet back so that there was a large enough gap for him to fly through and land inside the train.

“Look it’s Iron Man!” Several people were calling above them, sounding relieved. The terror seemingly faded from the air and some people even applauded.

“What’s going on?” There were cheers and shouts of excitement and relief coming from the car when they realized someone was there to rescue them, but not from Scarlett. She was frozen in fear as she stared down the familiar red and gold armor that she’d once been excited to see. What had once been a comfort to her had become something she’d hope she’d never see again. It was funny how time changed things.

And yet, hours after having left Tony in his basement, Scarlett was standing once again in front of Tony Stark. It was lucky that he had his helmet on still or she would’ve punched him square in the jaw and marred his pretty face so that everyone would know who was responsible and why.

“Everyone stay calm, transit authority is on its way and I’m providing you all with a way to your destination.” Tony used his intercom to speak through the Iron Man armor without having to pull his helmet up. He had the distinct feeling that if he did so, Scarlett would lash out. Glancing down he noticed that she wasn’t wearing any shoes and felt guilty for having sent her out onto the street with nothing but the clothes on her back after publicly humiliating her.

For a fleeting moment Scarlett considered heading through the crowd and getting out of the train, even if it meant cutting up her feet and walking across the neighboring tracks to find her way out. She wasn’t scared of having to dodge other trains and deal with the pain in her feet but she wondered if it was worth the effort considering Tony had a sizable advantage on her in the Mark VII.

Tony wasn’t there for her. She had to consider the situation at hand. There was no way that he would come for _her_. Not after what he’d said to her about being just like the other women he’d been with in the past. He’d have to be a fool to think that she’d ever forgive him anyway. Once again she considered that it was selfish of her to think that Tony would come for her on her way out of town. It had to be coincidence that there had been an incident on the train that Tony had been called to deal with. Whatever had stopped the train dead in its tracks was far more threatening to deal with than her pathetic love life problems. Considering that her love life was fairly non-existent and the brief moment she’d had with it had nearly destroyed her strong resolve, Scarlett was sure that something bigger had to be going on.

Putting aside her annoyance and frustration with Tony, Scarlett straightened her back and hid the anger she felt toward him so that she could put the situation at hand before her emotions. The people on the train were looking to her to be strong and get them out of the car safely and if it meant dealing with a man she’d rather never see again then so be it.

Though, when she considered it, part of Scarlett was so _glad_ to see Tony that she wanted to throw her arms around his shoulders and sob then ask him to take all the nasty things he said back and carry her away. But that was something Scarlett wasn’t capable of. The women who did those things in her mind were pathetic and she was _not_ pathetic.

“What’s going on? What stopped the train? Are these people safe?” Scarlett started firing questions. The group around her silenced, all respecting that she clearly knew more in these situations than they did. Besides, it looked to them like Iron Man knew who she was and was specifically addressing her in the darkness of the train.

“What track are we on? It looks like number three. If you can get the transit authority to stop the other trains then you can provide cover while I escort them under the bridge and somewhere safer than this. We’re sitting ducks for whatever stopped us.” The more Scarlett rambled on about the options she had, the easier it was to deal with her recent ex-lover. Terrible situations filled with fear and danger were far simpler for her to handle. In fact, she excelled at them and it felt good to be able to gain control of her life for a small moment at long last. Even if it was something small like taking charge in a situation where no one else knew what to do, it was a step toward regaining her strength and independence.

“There’s no threat.” Tony spoke through the microphone. He was partially afraid to face up to what he’d done. It wasn’t the crowd of people gathered around Scarlett looking fearful that threw him off or even the amount of potential legal trouble that he’d put himself into. Those things Tony was used to on a day to day basis. It was the fear of rejection that was shaking him to the bone. 

“ _No_ threat? What stopped the train then? Stark, these people are scared and deserve an explanation.” Scarlett looked at him seriously, but really she was looking through him. She couldn’t look at him like she had before. It would take her a long time before she could see him as someone she could communicate with normally. Their relationship was too strained already and she was hoping she could lead the escape from the train while Tony took up the offensive. It didn’t seem like things were going her way though.

“I stopped the train,” Tony spoke quickly through the microphone, despising the sudden nerves in the pit of his stomach. “There is no threat.”

“What?” Scarlett couldn’t think of what else to say besides that. It didn’t make sense any other way. Why would he stop the train? There had to be some kind of threat in the distance to make him do that.

“I stopped the train!”

“Why would you stop the train? What’s wrong? What’s happening?” Scarlett was hoping and searching for a reason for Tony’s arrival, something to make it a logical in her mind so she could deal with it.

“There’s nothing wrong Scarlett, calm down.” Tony held up both hands and ignored the whispers of those gathered behind Scarlett who seemed to realize that they did, in fact, know each other. Some even seemed to be mentioning the report that had been issued this morning in regards to Tony Stark’s mysterious new girlfriend.

“Then why are you here?” Scarlett cracked her neck in annoyance when she heard someone behind her mentioning the report from that morning; as if she had really needed reminding of why she was so hurt.

“I came here for you.” Tony softened, but realized she couldn’t very well see it while he was hiding inside the armor. Scarlett didn’t respond for a moment. She looked as torn as he felt. It was too soon for her heart to no longer be on her sleeve when it came to Tony. That urge to trust was still boiling inside of her and while she knew it was stupid to do so, it didn’t make it any easier to avoid.

“For _me?_ ” It wasn’t that she was confused, but her tone clearly expressed disbelief that there was any truth to what he was saying. Somehow she doubted he’d stopped a train for _her_.

“For you.” Tony hoped that he’d be able to calm her if he took things slowly. The group around them had quieted down again to watch the exchange curiously.

“Look, that bar fight thing wasn’t a big deal… if that’s what you’re getting at. They would’ve made me pay a fine at most and the fact that you’re here trying to get me into more trouble, which you’ve caused plenty for me now I might add, is disgusting. It’s absolutely _disgusting_.” Scarlett wondered if Tony was really so bitter that he would take the small legal trouble she’d gotten into and throw it into her face. The last thing she wanted was _more_ publicity when she’d spent so long avoiding it. Not to mention she’d broken at least ten laws that afternoon in order to get the funds she’d needed for the train ticket and planned to break many more when she went after MedCo. “Besides, I thought my file was clear now. You can’t really be _that_ petty, Stark. Wait, I just answered my own question.”

“Stop calling me that.” Hearing her use that cold name for him again was physically painful.

“You know, I told you the damn truth that night and you have no idea how hard that is for me!” Scarlett was on a roll now. She’d had too long to dwell on the things she’d wanted to say to Tony if she was ever face to face with him again. While she had stayed silent when he’d berated her down in his lab, she was no longer stunned by the broken heart she had and was ready to tell him just where he could shove his asinine insults. Scarlett reconsidered her words and then shook her head. “No, I guess that’s why it was so damn insulting. You know exactly how hard it is for me to be honest with another person nonetheless a scum bag like you.”

Tony winced and was suddenly glad for the helmet to hide his expression again. It was easier to talk to her and take her angry words when she wasn’t looking him in the eyes. Despite it all he could see the pain hidden behind the mask of rage Scarlett wore.

“You made such a big deal about trust and breaking it that when I finally offered you mine and told you the whole truth you twisted it around and used it against me!”

“Scarlett you’re not listening to me.”

“Not listening?” She scoffed and then pointed an accusing finger at him. “Don’t you talk to me about not listening you jerk! I asked _one_ thing of you! One! And it wasn’t even that you broke your promise to me in a matter of six hours… it wasn’t that, Tony. I didn’t ask you to change who you were, I would never want that and yet…” Scarlett couldn’t keep up calling him Stark, though Tony partially wished she would. The way she said his name now was filled with hurt and heartache. This time he stayed silent, he had no sassy retort to make.

“You let fear twist you into knots and then lashed out at me. I finally trusted you and you threw it in my face. You showed me just how much my trust was worth Tony and you know what? Thank you.”

“What?” Tony’s heart was pounding in his head.

“Yeah, I’m _grateful._ I finally opened up to someone and it was a huge mistake. So now I can finally go back to the way things were… thanks to you.” Scarlett swallowed the knot in her throat. “You called me the worst things I could possibly think of. How could you do what we did and then still call me those names? After everything we’d gone through together… the ups and downs, the fights, the struggles… you could still string together the most harmful parts of my life and throw them in my face? Bravo, really. I’m cold but I’ve got _nothing_ on you.”

“It’s not _like_ that Scarlett. You’re not listening to me! I came here…”

“I don’t care.” Scarlett shouted in interruption, throwing her hands up in annoyance then shoving at the suit of armor that didn’t even budge with her pushes. “I don’t care why you’re here. If you want to take me in you better get those guns blazing because I will find a way to get out of it. I’m not playing with you anymore. This isn’t a game to me and it never was. You played around from the moment we met.”

“That’s not true and you know it.”

“It is true. It was a game for you.”

“It wasn’t. Now you’re shooting angry words at _me!_ And it _was_ a game for you! I think you’ve got your facts backwards. You thought it was a game you could play…” Tony drifted off. “Don’t twist this around on me!”

“Well you started it.” Scarlett snarled in frustration. “You didn’t even try to understand why it was hard for me to share what we’d been through with other people. You thought it was a joke that this meant something to me and you can’t be in a fucking relationship if you don’t know the meaning of the word.”

“I _do_ know the meaning of the word and I _did_ understand.”

“Then you just didn’t care. Is that it?” Scarlett’s face was contorted in anger and sadness. Thankfully the urge to cry had long gone.

“That’s not fair.”

“Not fair? You know what’s _really_ not fair you spoiled brat? It’s not fair that you found out about Scott being okay in South Africa and _you_ flipped out about it.”

“I was scared! It was a valid fear!”

“You were scared about something that you had no idea about. And why didn’t you have any idea? Because you didn’t ask me! How many times have I mentioned since I finally told you about him that it was _never_ the same with Scott… I think I even told you that it wasn’t like that.”

“I wasn’t thinking rationally!”

“ _No_ , I couldn’t tell.” Scarlett cocked her head to the side mockingly. “It’s unfair that you made a decision _for_ me. It should’ve been my choice what to do about Scott. You didn’t even give me the chance to choose between the two of you. Instead you just decided that I would pick him over you which was insane, for the record. I don’t know what broke in your head to turn it into such an ordeal!” Cursing under her breath, Scarlett turned away. She thought about telling Tony that there was no question of who she would’ve chosen if given the opportunity but didn’t think he deserved to know. He could wonder for the rest of his days what she really would’ve done.

“You broke my trust, you broke a promise! You humiliated me in front of your rather large fan base and then made me feel like I was such garbage that I didn’t deserve to be in your house a moment longer.” Scarlett straightened her back and steeled her gaze. She wasn’t going to let Tony Stark get the best of her two times in a row. While she’d claimed it wasn’t a game anymore, she would have to play it like it was one. She needed to win just once so she could feel a little bit better.

“So please, why don’t you tell me what it is you want from me now? I have nothing left to give you unless you’d like me to break your nose because I’d be _really_ happy to do that.” Scarlett clenched her fist. “I suggest you leave.”

“You’re not listening to me, Scarlett!” Tony finally shouted, popping the helmet of the Mark VII open at long last. He held up his hand again when she started to talk. His lips were in a thin line and to the untrained eye he looked angry. But Scarlett could see he was just scared. Big, bad Tony Stark was scared of what was going to happen. Finally Scarlett stayed quiet and even felt a little guilty for having lashed out. “I came here _for_ you.”

“You said that already.” Scarlett said quietly, her voice barely audible. She wanted to run away. Why did he have to come after her? He should’ve just stayed in his stupid mansion and gone on with his selfish lonely life like she imagined he would do. Instead he was there making things more complicated for her. Scarlett didn’t like this kind of complicated; it was new and vicious. She had scars running through her heart from just how ravenous this pain had become.

“Shut up!” Tony scoffed and ran a gloved hand through his hair, ignoring Jarvis trying to alert him of a call from Pepper that he was sure in regards to the damage he’d done to the train. “I came here to say that I’m sorry.” There were a few surprised gasps from the people standing behind Scarlett. Somewhere during her speech the onlookers had taken her side. Maybe it was because of how heartfelt it had been or how much pain she was obviously in. Or maybe it was because she’d been helping them try to get to safety when they thought their lives were in danger. Either way, it seemed that the group had sided with the tall and heartbroken woman.

“I’m sorry that I said those things because I realized this morning that…” The words were hard for Tony to say but now that he had stood up to Scarlett and taken a good tongue lashing from her, he knew he had to say them. This was what he had come here to do. “I love you, Scarlett and I came here for you.”


	37. Walls Down

Scarlett stood staring blankly in awe in front of Tony, shivering from the chills she got down her back. It was true that Tony had confessed love to her in his basement after they had argued over what seemed more and more like trivial things the more Scarlett thought about it but she hadn’t believed it for a second. What it boiled down to was that Tony had overreacted and had flown off the handle while Scarlett had been so shocked and surprised by his lashing out that she hadn’t known what to do. She didn’t think her anger was unjustified by any means, she had decided, but she wasn’t as _angry_ as she had expected to be.

But now, Tony was confessing his love for her again on the train. It had been hours since she’d left the Stark home and the admission he’d made hours ago popped back into her mind suddenly. Why had she disregarded his words so quickly? Maybe he _had_ meant it when he said he’d loved her then. It was an admission in the heat of the moment, so why hadn’t Scarlett considered there was some truth to it? 

She was sure that a psychiatrist would tell her feelings of inadequacy made her think she was undeserving of love and rejected the idea as quickly as it had come. Scarlett thought psycho analysis was a crock of shit, at least when it came to her. It was logical for her to think that Tony had been making excuses to try and clean up the mess he’d made of their relationship with little to no effort on his part. At least that was what Scarlett had _thought_ he was doing. He could’ve been honest, but it was a logical mistake for her to assume that he wasn’t being completely truthful given his extensive history.

And yet, there they were standing in the back of a train car that Tony had purposely stopped in the middle of the tracks in one of the busiest cities in the world and he was telling her that he loved her and most importantly that he was sorry. He hadn’t tried to manipulate her into coming home or tried to defend his actions. Scarlett had expected him to immediately come up with reasons why things hadn’t been his fault as a lot of men did when faced with their shortcomings but he’d taken the higher ground and had flat out apologized. On top of that he was saying that he loved her, which she was guessing was a huge step for someone like Tony.

Why hadn’t he waited until the train had gotten to the station to talk to her? They were already almost to the train’s first stop he could’ve waited fifteen or twenty more minutes and have saved himself a lot of time, money, and trouble. But maybe he was trying to make a statement with what he’d done. Unlike the first time that Tony had confessed his love for her, Scarlett didn’t doubt for a moment that his words were true.

Her face softened for a brief second as she considered why those simple words affected her so fantastically. Love was just a word. She’d never believed in its existence and had always rolled her eyes at the people who told her stories of how they’d found it and completed their lives with that of another person. Maybe it was because she’d never had good relationships in the past. Maybe it was because Scarlett was selfish in many ways. Or maybe it was just because Scarlett was downright cynical for most of her life. Love was a fairytale created to justify bouts of lust gone awry.

She hadn’t known what the word love really meant until she was hearing it from Tony’s lips in that moment on the train. For those precious few seconds Scarlett knew that she was loved by him and it had been a sincere confession. She knew what those people who talked about love meant and as childish as it felt to think that she’d found the missing piece, she was thinking it. Why else would Tony destroy a surely incredibly expensive train along with the track that it was on? Why would he put innocent civilians in harm’s way just so he could continue lying to her? It didn’t make sense for his intellectual mind. If nothing else, Scarlett was uniquely positive that Tony was being honest with her, at least this one time.

What was she supposed to do now when faced with the truth? Tony was staring at her expectantly, hoping for some kind of reaction. He wanted her to be truly moved by his words, he wanted her to forgive him, but most of all he wanted her to know that he was being honest with her. The ache in her chest that she had finally learned to manage on her walk through Malibu was back in full force. She was sure that if she tried to move, she’d collapse with pain. Scarlett turned away from Tony and shook her head.

Even if he really did love her, how was she supposed to forgive him for what he’d done? Would those three little words really make everything alright again? Of course they wouldn’t. Love wasn’t magic, life wasn’t some story in a book and Scarlett was still mad as hell, not to mention hurt. She was already doubting the truth of his words, but knew it was all fear related so didn’t put too much stock in it.

Being away from the intoxicating air of Tony Stark had reminded her of why she’d woken up in Malibu in the first place. She’d almost died at the hands of an evil group of men and women and a man who had put up with her selfish behavior for years had been put in harm’s way. He may not have been the love of her life, but he’d always stuck by her through the struggles she’d gone through. This had humbled her. Even if she didn’t want to spend her life with Scott she owed it to him to let him know that she was okay at the very least. He might even know something about MedCo that would help her pinpoint the remaining founders so she could take them out and end the story once and for all. She could only imagine that Scott assumed she had died and was feeling just as guilty for her having deceased as she had felt.

Closing her eyes tightly Scarlett held a hand to her head and tried to stop the conflicting thoughts rushing through her mind. Too much was happening at once and it was overwhelming her. Most importantly, Scarlett knew that in such a state she couldn’t resist the urge to jump into his arms and tell him that she loved him too. It was too cliché for her to do. This wasn’t some romantic movie where the girl would fall prey to her emotions and give into them and finally find happiness with her true love despite the terrible things that had transpired over the film’s course. Even if she went back with Tony now that he’d confessed and they really worked things out together she wouldn’t be okay with the situation. It would feel good initially, but trouble would eventually brew the way that it always seemed to.

There were people out in the world ready to kill her and those in their path to her and they wouldn’t stop until they got what they wanted or until Scarlett stopped them. Her selfish want for romance and love with Tony ever since things had gotten increasingly intense between them had drowned out her need to do the _right_ thing even if she wasn’t quite sure what that thing was yet. Putting a stop to the devastation that MedCo had caused was far more important.

She knew that loving Tony would only suit the two of them and they had both made a mess out of their lives and the lives of the other in the process of untangling the twisted web of their emotions over the past month.

But what had gotten them into so much trouble in the first place was the deceit and the lies that had covered the foundation of their relationship. If Scarlett didn’t tell Tony that she loved him right then and there she’d be doing him a disservice and adding onto the lies she’d swore to stop telling. On the other hand if Scarlett _did_ tell Tony she loved him on the train then he would likely scoop her up and carry her away into the unknown until she talked it out with him. She didn’t think that Tony was likely to take no for an answer anyway, not after he’d stopped a train to confess to her. If he carried her away, her strength would fade. 

On top of that Scarlett didn’t really _want_ to hide her feelings from him. He’d been the only person she’d ever felt a strong emotional attachment to in her life before. Emotional bonds had always been a struggle for her. She’d even felt detached from her parents in her youth and every boyfriend that had followed. Standing on a train surrounded by people was not the best time to consider her emotional turmoil. People behind her were waiting on her response, clearly enraptured by their story.

Tony looked desperate. He was staring at her with pleading eyes and hoping she would respond to him, even if it was to tell him to go to hell. When she turned her back he reached for her shoulder but then recoiled when he realized that he was still wearing the suit of armor. When she didn’t turn back to look at him, he continued to talk.

If nothing else, he’d gotten her to stop arguing with him. Clearly his words had an impact and even if it wasn’t the desired one it felt good for the words not to go discarded entirely as they had during their argument earlier in the day. At least he’d made an impact with what he’d said and she hadn’t accused him of using them to try and manipulate his way out of an apology. But he hadn’t expected to see the hurt and stress in her eyes when he’d said it. Now that she’d stopped yelling at him and making accusations, it was apparent how she was really feeling. 

“I know you didn’t believe me when I said it to you earlier after we fought.” Tony expected her to lash out and list the reasons that she hadn’t believed him but he didn’t need her to defend the logic behind her response. It made perfect to him sense after he’d thought about it for awhile. Scarlett looked back at him, seemingly still in awe of what he’d confessed. He’d never seen her so out of it, even when she’d had her awful anxiety attack that went with the allergic reaction she’d had on her leg, it hadn’t been that bad before. This was a different kind of darkness hanging behind her gaze. She looked lost. That scared Tony more than anything else.

“How could I?” Scarlett was sure those around them were more confused than ever, but it seemed like they were hanging on their every word, eager to find out where their love affair would end up.

“I know, I _know!_ ” Tony stopped her from continuing on, but little did he know that Scarlett had almost nothing left in the way of words when it came to arguing with him. “I was an ass when I did that, okay? I was a huge asshole and… I was angry and confused and took it out on you which wasn’t fair. I know that.” 

Scarlett averted her gaze back toward the window. She could see the lights of the police sirens just outside now. It would only be a minute or two before the cops came in and interrupted them.

“I’m an idiot, Scarlett” Tony stepped closer and gingerly placed a metallic hand on Scarlett’s arm, being careful not to apply too much pressure. She glanced down at it but other than that didn’t acknowledge it. “I screwed up. I was afraid that you’d…” Tony twisted the words on his tongue, and decided not to finish his sentence at least not with so many people as their audience. “I love you. Do you know how _hard_ that is for me to say? I have literally… never said I love you to anyone before and that… I mean, even my parents I just sort of nodded but… I feel like you need to know. I love you and even if you keep your walls up and avoid me for the rest of our lives I’ll always love you.”

Scarlett got the shivers as he spoke, goose bumps breaking out on her skin. Finally she glanced back up at Tony. He was pleading with her, hoping that she would forgive him. The more she looked the more she realized it wasn’t even that. He didn’t _need_ forgiveness. He needed the chance to _earn_ forgiveness and that somehow meant even more than the apology had meant to her. Scarlett opened her mouth to respond but didn’t get the chance.

There was a bang on the side of the train car that made Scarlett jump almost out of her skin. Tony grabbed harder onto her arm and pulled her closer protectively. They’d gotten so into the argument and tension of the situation that they’d both forgotten what was transpiring. It was hard to forget about the crowd gathered around due to the closed quarters, but they’d nearly forgotten they were trapped in a train and awaiting rescue.

“Step aside!” Voices from outside the door echoed within, urging those inside to step away from the doors so they wouldn’t get hurt when it was pried away. Scarlett turned to look at the group of people who were staring at her and looking for guidance. She nodded her head to let them know it was okay to listen so they backed away from the door. The door flew open and the chilly wind of the night overwhelmed them. Scarlett pulled free of Tony’s grasp so she could help the people on the train start to climb out of the car now that it was established there was no immediate threat to the people inside it.

“Wait, Scarlett no…” Tony grabbed her wrist and carefully tugged her back. She whipped around and shook her head.

“We have to get these people home.” Scarlett didn’t sound mad and she didn’t sound upset, she simply sounded focused.

“I already took care of it. I’ll pay for transportation, whatever… Pepper will take care of it.”

“It’s not just that. You scared them. You scared _me._ ” She shrugged her shoulders. “We thought something awful had happened.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Tony didn’t care about the other people on the train, he only cared about Scarlett and getting her back.

“The things you do matter.” Scarlett argued and then started to turn away again. Tony shook his head in dismay.

“Please, just give me another chance to prove to you that I know what I do matters, okay? And I can make this up to you if you let me.” Tony pled, his big brown eyes shining with sadness. He had to make her stay with him. Not that he would take no for an answer, but he wasn’t going to give up the ghost so quickly either. “They’ll be fine but me? I won’t be if you don’t give me another chance.”

Scarlett pulled her wrist free but didn’t turn away from Tony this time. Instead she stared at him and considered his proposal. It would be much easier if she could simply say she’d give him another chance and let him embrace her like she so wanted him to. But easy didn’t mean it was the right thing to do. With MedCo on the loose Scarlett didn’t think it was the right direction to go in. Still, it was a tempting offer and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to give in.

“Excuse me, Mr. Stark?” One of the officers, looking none too pleased by the situation at hand, stepped between Tony and Scarlett. Tony tried to peer around the officer but he wasn’t moving out of the way.

“I’m a little busy…”

“Do you have any idea how many laws you’ve broken? How much damage you’ve done to this metro system?”

“How much? I can get my assistant to write a check.” Tony nodded his head impatiently. The officer seemed offended and was soon joined by another who was far more level-headed. Over and over Tony kept thinking and hoping that maybe if he got the police out of his hair quickly he’d find Scarlett waiting behind for him and ready to give him another chance. He didn’t need her to say she loved him all he needed was the chance to show her he was being honest. 

But unfortunately the officers had a lot to discuss and there was a myriad of paperwork that Tony had to sign and go through before he was able to actually get away from the officers. The crowd of people traveling home for the night or to various venues had begun to disperse at long last but the police had lingered around afterward to supervise the repairs to the track. Scarlett had disappeared somewhere into the crowd and despite his attempts to find her, Tony couldn’t seem to catch a glimpse of her. She’d taken the time that he’d been distracted and had escaped.

Cursing, Tony searched through the people who remained on scene at the station but Scarlett was still nowhere to be found. Putting the helmet back onto his suit, Tony decided to take his search to the skies. He’d been able to pinpoint her before so maybe he could use that same heat signature to scan the area and locate her. Then again he _was_ in Los Angeles so scanning the area wouldn’t exactly be the easiest task to accomplish.

“I have a call from Miss Potts. Actually I have several calls from Miss Potts and one from Colonel Rhodes.” Jarvis echoed in his ear once communication with him was restored.

“Patch Pepper through and tell Rhodes I’ll talk to him later.” Tony sighed, knowing that he couldn’t leave his assistant in the darkness for long.

“Tony! Tony, what the hell are you doing? I was just on the phone with the FBI. The _FBI_ Tony, what is this about a train? Did you _destroy_ a train? I told you to go after Scarlett, not to go destroying the greater metro area! And what are all these taxi cab companies doing calling me for a payment? Tony what the hell did you do out there?” Pepper barely took a breath while ranting.

“I stopped a train to find Scarlett and offered the other passengers a ride to wherever they were going considering I caused the stop anyway.” Tony answered casually as he flew above the city. “Oh, and if you could alert air traffic control that I’m up here above the city that’d be great. I’ve crashed enough big transportation vehicles today, the last thing I need to do is to take out a weather chopper or something.” He chuckled.

“This isn’t funny Tony! Happy! Where’s Happy? I need Happy.” Pepper seemed to be having some sort of panic fit and it was actually making Tony feel a little bit better to hear his assistant in her usual state of confusion. It was the tiny bit of normalcy that he needed. He could hear Happy in the background telling her to calm down.

“Just find out the damages for the train that I destroyed and double it, Pepper. Tell them to call it the Stark Station if they have to… it has a nice sort of ring to it.”

“Did you even _find_ Scarlett in that mess?” Pepper sounded irritated but had regained her composure. Tony knew that Pepper’s freak outs about his bad behaviors didn’t last very long. When it came to legal and financial situations she was a genius and that’s why he kept her around despite her difficulty when it came to handling the physical and emotional danger that he often put them in.

“Kind of.” Tony responded, a long whine in his voice, pursing his lips.

“ _Kind of?_ What’s what supposed to mean? Tony I swear, if you stopped a train and didn’t even do what you set out to do then so help me…”

“What are you going to do about it, huh? It’s _my_ money.” Tony chuckled. Pepper’s threats were always good for a laugh.

“Sir, I’ve started scanning nearby establishments for purchases by women of similar description and multiple variations of the spelling of her name.” Jarvis chimed in through the speaker.

“You wouldn’t interrupt me on the phone if you hadn’t found something, am I right?” Tony spoke to his computer.

“Tony, I’m still here.” Pepper chirped, seemingly torn between being irritated with Tony for being so poorly prepared and amused that he was actually hunting Scarlett down throughout the city of Los Angeles.

“Pepper, I’m a little busy right now.” Tony spoke over her. “Gotta go.” He disconnected the call and stopped the Mark VII from flying further, hovering above the city. Somewhere in those lights below, Scarlett was hiding from him and trying to avoid dealing with the mess he’d made. He couldn’t rightly blame her for trying to avoid it but he couldn’t let her continue to do so either. It wasn’t good for either of them. Tony needed her to be okay and somehow he knew that she needed him just as badly. “What were you saying, Jarvis?”

“After checking the local banks and finding nothing amiss, I started checking hotels in the metro area.”

“That sounds like an exhausting search.” Tony glanced at the busy streets below. There’d be no way for Tony to find her in the metropolis even with Jarvis’ help and the internal memory of her heat signature. It was damn lucky that she’d used her real name to buy a ticket on the train and he doubted she would do that twice. Closing his eyes, Tony considered that he’d given up his last chance to get her back and exhaled deeply. He wouldn’t give up his search, but it would be much harder to find her time and time again.

“Not for me,” Jarvis responded. “My guess was that Miss Damien would plan for a more permanent escape. It’s the only reason why I can think she would travel to Los Angeles specifically. It was a one way ticket, not connecting unless she planned to cheat the system upon arrival.”

“And since I pretty much put a stop to the entire train system…” Tony smirked, realizing she likely couldn’t take the train to get anywhere else. Even the Amtrak trains ran out of the same stations and from what the police had told him, he’d put a stop to the entire thing by causing a disaster on the one track. Even after he’d offered to help move the destroyed cars off of the railing so things could resume as usual it was explained to him that protocol dictated that it couldn’t be done that way. Plus he’d destroyed multiple areas of the track and had compromised the strength of that section of rail entirely. Instead Tony had just agreed to pay the fines that came with the destruction he’d caused. 

“I checked alternate routes out of the country, the logical choice being the airport. My guess is that without legal documents she will not be able to flee the country for at least twelve hours while she obtains the proper identification.”

“You can get a passport that quickly? It took me like… three months.” Tony pouted, snapping his eyes open.

“There are less than reputable ways, sir which from what I’ve gathered about Miss Damien, she is rather familiar with.” 

“Jarvis, you dirty dog.” Despite his sassy retort, Tony was not in the mood to play around. His heart was still thundering in his chest but he had a glimmer hope. Scarlett hadn’t rejected him, she’d just run away scared.

“Anyway sir, I checked hotels and couldn’t find any recent bookings for anyone named Scarlett Damien.”

“She’d be a fool to use her real name twice.” Tony nodded, thinking that this was the big flaw in his new plan.

“Precisely, so I scrambled the letters of her name and only found one reservation in that of one Mina Castle. The reservation was placed for a one night stay at a moderately priced hotel near the Los Angeles International Airport. She is in room 412.” Tony quietly contemplated this information.

“You do realize that if this isn’t her room I’m probably going to end up back in trouble with the police tonight.”

“Miss Potts might kill you.” Jarvis countered.

“Target room 412, Jarvis.” Tony waited for the room to come up on the screen and then started off through the night sky toward the hotel.

Scarlett rushed away from the train with the crowd, breathing heavier than necessary in an attempt to ward off the panic sitting in her chest. She was running away from Tony so she could clear out her thoughts. It’d all happened too quickly and she was off of her game. The urge to fight was gone and she was left with nothing but quiet confusion to destroy her thoughts.

With some time away from Tony she’d feel better. With a few sips of scotch she’d feel great and maybe even forget all about how terrible the situation had become. Terrible perhaps wasn’t the right word for her struggle. It was just not something she knew how to deal with. Espionage? Sure. Torture? She’d been there and done that. Natural disasters or contract killers? No problem. But love? From Tony Stark? That was a whole new area of crazy that she wasn’t ready to deal with.

Right now Scarlett could only deal with the mission in front of her. Her heart was racing and her head was hurting. Walking into the hotel, Scarlett used the first alias she could think of to book a room for the night after she stopped at multiple ATMs to pull out a substantial amount of money from multiple accounts that she’d memorized over the years and used for backups. It was an easy process to manipulate an ATM as long as she made it look like she was doing a regular transaction.

Once in the hotel with her room booked, Scarlett went straight to the bar. She didn’t plan on getting obliterated. A couple of drinks would ease her nerves enough that she would be able to function. The last thing she needed was to end up causing another drunken disturbance like she’d done a few days ago. Sitting at the bar she considered that really _had_ only been a handful of days ago. It felt like a lifetime ago when her world had come crumbling to pieces around her. Scarlett had spent much of her time over the years fighting to find her way but never once before the last few days had she ever felt this completely upside down.

She didn’t know what to do. Scarlett didn’t know how to live her life without a fight. So instead of trying to take the easy way out and give into what she really wanted, she’d go where she could fight. And right now that was in Africa. It was the only goal she had and it was the only thing she could think to do to distract herself from how Tony had chased after her and the fight that they’d had earlier in the day. Even though he’d apologized and admitted that he was being an ass the words he’d said still stung.

Glancing behind the counter at the bartender’s rack against the wall displaying the various bottles of alcohol Scarlett hesitated to order. She didn’t want a glass of scotch for the first time since she’d discovered it in her twenties. It reminded her of being with Tony. Even the rum reminded her of Tony and the first time they’d spent the night. Leaning her head in her hand she took a slow deep breath and considered what to drink. When the bartender asked her what she wanted she wasn’t sure what to say because everything she considered seemed like a recipe for depression.

“Vodka and Sprite please.” Placing the payment on the counter since she only intended on having one drink, Scarlett ordered the only thing she could think of that she hadn’t had with Tony and would still enjoy. She didn’t love vodka but masked with enough soda it was tolerable to drink. Drowning her sorrows for a half an hour over a glass of alcohol that didn’t seem to appeal to her, Scarlett finally discarded the glass and decided to head up to her room. She regretted leaving Tony at the train without saying goodbye at least. After all, it had been kind of romantic that he’d stopped it just to _talk_ to her. It was sweet in a weird way and she wondered why she was flattered.

Then again it was probably wrong of her _not_ to be flattered. 

Scarlett had just about enough of thinking for the day. She’d sleep and in the morning worry about obtaining a passport so she could get out of the country. Then she’d purchase the items she required for her mission and be on her way. Sighing softly she headed onto the elevator, humming quietly to herself as she leaned against the back wall with her eyes closed. She’d had a number of interesting experiences in elevators. Everything from lovemaking and surprise attacks, to technical difficulties and power outages. 

Reflecting on these memories she wondered how things could ever work with anyone, nonetheless Tony?

Her history was toxic. _She_ was toxic. Hearing the ding of the elevator, Scarlett opened her eyes and walked through the hall, still without her shoes and her feet incredibly sore, and then slowly toward the room at the end of the hallway. It was a nice hotel, one of the better ones near the airport and she’d decided to spring for a room with a view and some space. She figured it would be her last enjoyment of luxury before she headed back into the desert where she would be lucky to have a place to sleep at night.

Slipping the key card in the lock on the door, Scarlett stepped into the hotel room and let the door slam closed behind her. Barely looking around the room she shivered from the chill in the air and adjusted the thermostat on the wall. Turning away from the thermostat she tossed her key onto the coffee table in the living area and then walked around the couch and through the archway to the bedroom.

Paying little attention, Scarlett hung her head and untied the knot she’d placed in her hair to keep it out of her face and then stopped as she opened the closet door to find the robe that was usually complementary in those places. Maybe she’d take a long bath and soak her sore and aching feet. Hearing a creak behind her Scarlett grabbed the hanger the robe was on, twisted it in her hand so that the hook was facing outward and then turned around sharply to face the source of the sound across the room.

Standing in between the open doors of the balcony on the opposite side of the bed in the hotel room was Tony, still in his armor, the helmet of the Mark VII mechanically sliding off and having caused the sound that had caused her suspect. Blinking at him in surprise, Scarlett hesitated but lowered the hanger in her grasp. She wasn’t planning on attacking Tony and no longer needed the impromptu weapon.

“How did you find me?” Scarlett wasn’t acting as surprised to see him as she actually was. He must have been determined to find her to search through so many databases.

“Well, I figured you’d try to get out of town but you couldn’t leave without a passport… So I started searching for hotels around the easiest ways out of the country which left the seaport and the airport and well… Since I didn’t think you’d use your name again I started searching for anagrams of your name and one popped up. I figured either I’d get really lucky and you’d be here or I’d get arrested and that’s not the worst thing I’ve done today so it was worth the risk.” Tony nervously pushed his hands through his hair and then started to disassemble the armor he had on. It was too much. He didn’t want to be Iron Man at the moment. The suit had just been a means to an end for him.

“So you asked Jarvis to help is what you’re saying.” Scarlett folded her arms over her chest and avoided eye contact.

“Yeah, Jarvis did all the grunt work.” Tony could feel the tension in the room and became defensive immediately. “Look before you kick me out just give me a chance to…” Tony drifted off when Scarlett came closer to him.

Instead of smacking him or yelling at him like he expected her to do she started to help him pull apart the pieces of the Iron Man armor to get it off of him. Tony stood stunned while she helped him. There were about three hundred things he could think of to say to make a snarky comment that would likely cause her to roll her eyes at him but instead he chose to stay silent. Later there would be plenty of time to make up for the sassy remarks he’d missed out on. Right now he needed to try and repair the damage that he’d done and try to find out why Scarlett was acting so strange. She hadn’t had the list of nasty things to say to him that he’d expected. Clearly something had changed.

Scarlett wasn’t sure how to take the armor off but quickly found out how it snapped together and assembled and was able to help Tony get off the bulk of it. It took a good few minutes but they managed to get the armor off of him and set it aside so that he could put it back on later. Helping to place the armor aside, Scarlett dusted her hands off once her task was finished. Tony watched her curiously, trying to read her body language but every signal she was sending was mixed and confused and he couldn’t honestly blame her.

Turning away he closed the window to the balcony and then sighed heavily, leaning against the door. She hadn’t thrown him out and she hadn’t tried to run away from him so he guessed that this was something akin to progress.

“I stopped a train for you.” Tony furrowed his brow, finally taking into consideration what he had actually done to get to this point. He hadn’t really thought much of what he’d done through before he’d done it. Of course, he’d dealt with the aftermath but Tony was always good at dealing with the aftermath. Having grown up in the limelight it was hard to avoid dealing with that sort of thing on the fly. His whole life was on camera, not a single moment left untouched. So when the police had come barking and the media sniffed around he turned on the charm and dealt with it as he always had. But now that he was alone with Scarlett the gravity of the situation had settled in. He had stopped a train on a busy track for a woman who he wasn’t even sure loved him as much as he loved her.

And then of course, being in love was blowing his mind just as severely as the things he’d done for it was. Confused and surprised, he suddenly knew why Scarlett was acting as confused and aloof as she was.

“I saw that.” Scarlett was straightening things on the nightstand in a particular manner. “Actually I _felt_ it. You’re really lucky… so many people could’ve gotten hurt and sued you. Hell you could’ve gone to prison for the injuries you could’ve potentially caused.”

“I wasn’t thinking about that at the time.” Tony grimaced. He’d never wanted to hurt anyone, he’d just wanted to get to Scarlett. It wasn’t the first time Tony Stark had done something incredibly stupid for the sake of something he wanted.

“I guessed that.” Scarlett rolled her eyes. “It was idiotic. I’d ask what you were thinking but I’m guessing there wasn’t much thought in the decision.” Straightening her back and running her fingers through her hair, Scarlett continued to avoid looking at him while she checked out the hotel room. She wanted to be familiar with her surroundings, it brought her peace of mind which was something she had been severely lacking for a long time.

“Well I…” Tony drifted off. He didn’t know what to say to her in response to that. Stupid hadn’t really been what he was going for and it wasn’t an insult that often suited him. But he couldn’t exactly disagree either. He hadn’t considered the damage he’d do to the people inside of the train when he stopped it. But seeing as no one _had_ gotten hurt, there was no harm no foul, right?

“Don’t try to make excuses for yourself.” Scarlett sighed and finally glanced over at Tony. “It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen you do.” Tony frowned, still unsure of what to say. “But…” Tony glanced back up at her quickly. He hadn’t anticipated a follow up. “It was also the most ridiculously romantic thing I’ve ever seen anyone do in my life. Nonetheless the most romantic thing that anyone’s ever done for me. It sure beats buying me a drink.” Scarlett was looking away again but Tony was watching her like a hawk. It was the first time she’d said something to him that let him think he might still stand a chance with her.

Tony got the shivers and smiled at long last. Things could find normalcy again. All they needed to break the tension between them was to go right back to where they belonged. He didn’t have to be someone else to be in love with Scarlett. Even his stupid mistakes had come off as romantic to her. Once they both realized that, maybe they could start to heal.

“Look, Scarlett…” Tony stepped away from the balcony doors and around the room so he could be closer to her. “I’m so sorry…”

“Stop.” Scarlett turned to face him and held her hand up in front of her. She was tired of fighting and it was obvious Tony wasn’t going to stop following her until they had their talk at least. And part of her didn’t want Tony to ever stop following her despite what she knew she had to do in the long run. “You don’t have to apologize, Tony. You’ve said enough.”


	38. Tourniquet

Tony was taken aback to say the least. It took quite a bit to make Tony Stark speechless, considering his love for the sound of his own voice, but Scarlett had managed the feat in just a sentence and a short one at that. He sat carefully on the edge of the bed when she stepped away from him, running her hand nervously through her hair, the other hand on her hip while she tried to find something in the room to keep her focus so she didn’t have to focus on him. Maybe it was time for Tony to sit and _listen_ rather than interrupt and talk over Scarlett every ten seconds.

He owed her _that_ , if nothing else.

“In some sick way I understand what you did… Even if you _were_ an asshole.” Scarlett folded her arms over her chest and then paced slowly across the room, ultimately stopping in the doorway that faced the sitting area of the room she paid for. She leaned against it and stared at the door that led to the hallway and out of the hotel. It called to her, telling her to run for it. Their relationship was toxic; like a slow venom coursing through her veins until it destroyed her. On the other hand it was also like sweet candy and she was hopelessly addicted. It didn’t matter if Tony was bad for her health, because he just happened to be her favorite flavor.

Her fingers leisurely brushed over the scar shaped like Tony’s arc reactor on her chest from their first time together. It had finally started to fade away but she could still feel the skin slightly arisen in the circular shape amongst the few details that remained burnt there. The stinging in her chest renewed as she choked on the words to explain what had been going on in her mind through the day. “I asked you not to tell the press because I was _scared_. But I can see how you misinterpreted.”

She leaned the side her head against the door frame, closed her eyes, and sighed so heavily with the weight of the day that she looked smaller. It wasn’t like her to get emotional in front of anyone but it seemed like she was transforming into a different person over the last few weeks. That was terrifying in and of itself, but combined with the stress that life had been piling on it was scarier than it should’ve been. She’d known before she worked for MedCo that things had to change or she’d meet an early death, but _this_ wasn’t the change she had been expecting. “And I know it sounds stupid that I was scared, because it even sounds stupid in my head. So instead of telling you why I really needed you to take your time I told you I wasn’t ready which isn’t untrue either, I suppose.” She contemplated that then shook the thought out of her head.

“I was scared of what publicity would do to the situation with MedCo which is already terrible enough, let’s face it. I was scared of what exactly I would bring to your front door once word officially got out. Look, you’re _Iron Man._ I get that, I really do… and I’m sure that you would tell me that whatever it was we could handle it just fine but I’ve made more enemies than you can imagine over the years given my line of work. MedCo has already done terrible things to you and the people you care about just to get at me.” Scarlett turned sideways in the doorway, leaning her back still against the frame and glanced over at Tony but still avoided eye contact. “They nearly _killed_ you and not to mention Pepper. Happy broke his hand and was out of commission for days! Not to mention that poor man who came to dinner with us who died and all the other unsuspecting people at that party.” Shaking her head in dismay she glanced down at the arms she had folded over her chest.

It was pretty astounding how quiet Tony was being considering how often he usually spoke. This was possibly the longest Scarlett had ever been able to stay on track with him in conversation because she had gotten so accustomed to him interrupting them with some sassy or sexual remark.

“But underneath that I was scared of I guess… the obvious thing to be scared of after sleeping with Tony Stark.” Frowning and adjusting her weight on her sore feet she glanced out the balcony window. “When I first considered using my sexuality to get to you, I was _disgusted_ by it. No offense.” Tony pouted in response but still didn’t interject. He owed it to her to wait to put in his two cents.

“You’ve been with so _many_ women. The only one who hasn’t been publicly defamed is Pepper and even then the news wasn’t incredibly fond of her either. She’s a smart woman and they treated her like she was a joke when you made her the temporary CEO of your company. I worked relentlessly to get where I am. I’m a smart, strong, powerful woman and I was terrified that none of that would matter because I’d slept with _you._ Men and women are viewed much differently in the media, Tony. You’re praised for being a sexual deviant while the women you cart around with are compared to blow up dolls and called sluts for giving into their sexual urges. I’m _not_ either of those things and I refused to be one.” Tony desperately wanted to tell her how he felt on that subject, and discuss the media in general. If Tony could handle anything, it was press coverage. He’d been under the lights of cameras his entire life, it was no surprise that he wasn’t bothered by what was printed about him this many years later.

“The way we talked to each other in the beginning. You treated me like I was a _challenge_ … a small hurdle to jump before you could get me into bed and not like what I actually am. But that night when we… finally did end up in bed together, it wasn’t like that for you and I knew that. At the same time I was scared that maybe you _were_ that good with deception. Maybe I was a fool for trying to play in the same league as a professional. What if you really did just want to prove to the world that you could get a woman who hated you and had no respect for you to bend over and enjoy it at that? I was just another notch on your bedpost and I was terrified that after I finally tried to trust you that it would be… just a really big public mistake.” Scarlett scoffed. Tony grimaced and placed his hand over his mouth, wiping his hands over the tidy goatee on his face. Scarlett had always seemed so hardened, it surprised him that she’d had so much bottled up inside.

They were more alike than he realized. Pepper would likely suggest that they go to counseling to learn how to better deal with their emotions. What they were doing now was way too destructive.

“Then I woke up and saw that _exactly_ what I had been afraid of was _exactly_ what you had done.” Scarlett laughed, but there was no humor in her voice. The whole situation had just gotten so out of hand that it was satirical. Their love life was a joke. “You humiliated me by telling the world exactly what I was trying to keep between us. And it’s not that I’m ashamed of what we did, I wasn’t… and I’m still not.” Tony caught her gaze as she spoke, surprised to hear that. He was sure that she’d deplored having made love to him after he’d made such terrible comments about the way they’d been together. “I knew what I was doing and I wanted to do it. I’m an adult and I made my decision. You didn’t trick me into it. If anything I lured _you_ into bed the first time. Honestly, if you’d just… waited for me to be okay with it I wouldn’t give a damn what details you gave to whom. I’m far from shy.” Tony’s brow shot up.

“It was how you went about it that was hurtful. The trust that I gave you that night was fragile Tony and you discarded it like a used tissue and that broke something in my head. I panicked!” Scarlett held her hands in front of her, trying to keep her emotions together while she spoke. “And then you were so cold… you were like a different person. And I didn’t like that guy, not at all.”

Tony wanted to tell her that he hadn’t liked that guy very much either, but knew she wasn’t done and while it was hard for him to sit and listen, this was the first time Scarlett had trusted him enough to talk about something this incredibly intimate. Plus, this was world’s better than screaming at each other and saying hurtful things they didn’t mean. He _liked_ fighting with her, but no when it was about something so serious. The fear he felt was just as strong as hers and he knew what it felt like for it to be discarded as nothing.

“I was overwhelmed and honestly wasn’t sure how to act. Was I supposed to fight with you? Was it another game? Or was I supposed to simply try to understand what you were going through. But then you stopped making sense.” Scarlett compulsively pushed her hand through her hair again, feeling her fingers tremble with anxiety. Her nerves were completely and thoroughly shot. She’d be lucky if she got any sleep at all that night. “You contradicted yourself twelve times so I just froze. I didn’t know what to say to argue with you anymore. I was trying just to make sense of what you were saying nonetheless try to counter it. Then you said you _loved_ me and what the hell was I supposed to think? I couldn’t wrap my head around what you were saying to me in anger and then you throw the whole love thing in there? Immediately I thought you panicked.”

“You realized that you said some things you couldn’t take back and the perfect way to make up for that with your typical girl would be to spoil her rotten and love is the one thing every girl wants right?” Scarlett’s eye twitched in annoyance. “No, no it’s not what every girl wants and I don’t think that it should be thrown around like some apology gift. It only supported what I was thinking which was that I was like every other girl before me who had gotten into your bed, Tony. And then when I called you out on it you told me exactly what I was afraid to hear.”

“Not to mention Scott. I mean… you threw that in there and what the hell was I supposed to do? On top of everything hurtful you had said, on top of telling me that you were in love with me which I have no idea how to begin understanding, and then telling me that Scott was alive… God Tony do you have any idea how guilty I feel for what Scott went through because of me? He was a good guy… quiet, timid, honestly he couldn’t have been further from you and slowly I poisoned the good guy inside of him and got him swept up in my mess? And then he died because of _me?_ I had nightmares every night about his death and then you tell me he’s alive, like it’s no big deal? And you tell me to go running back to him without even asking what things were like with him? You made decisions without all the facts and the first rule of science is that your theories are based around _facts_.” Scarlett walked away from the doorway and across the room to the window.

She glanced down at the folded up armor on the floor and then back at the balcony window. Staring into the night sky she was still surprised that the day had gone so quickly. Given everything that had transpired it wasn’t a huge surprise, but it still felt like a huge blur. There were more emotional things going on within her right now than there had ever been at least since she was a teenager plagued with hormones. She was quiet for a long time, but Tony wasn’t sure what to say. It was good to know why she’d acted the way she had. At least now Tony knew she hadn’t rejected his attempt at confessing his love for her. Then again, she also hadn’t _returned_ the sentiment either and that worried him. But it didn’t worry him enough to stop pursuing it. Scarlett was still scared, even if she was trying to hide it. Her body language said more than enough for him to be able to tell what she was really feeling.

“Once I left and had a chance to clear my head I tried _really_ hard to hate you.” Scarlett glanced down at her feet again, but still faced the window. Looking at Tony while she talked was too hard. She wasn’t much for sharing her emotions nonetheless saying them out loud but too many problems had been caused by miscommunication and Scarlett didn’t want to fight anymore. She was too tired.

“I wanted so badly to feel that need for revenge that I’d felt when I first woke up in your home Tony. I pretended that I could go back to hating you but the longer I was left without you the more I wanted to go back to the way things were. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed the way that I do when I’m with you and what if I never did again? I smiled more than I ever had before…” Scarlett pursed her lips and tapped her foot nervously.

“Unfortunately for what I wanted, I could start to see what had really happened when you got upset this morning. When I told you that uh… I didn’t want to tell the press you had to have assumed the worst. So of course the first thing you did was exactly what I’d asked you not to do. Plus… I assume you found out about Scott some time ago and were nervous to tell me. That sort of stress isn’t rational and people like us? We’re not good at dealing with it. You were hurting and scared just like I was. When you finally got the courage to tell me how you really felt and I didn’t respond as desired you probably went into panic mode.” Tony nodded with wide eyes, though Scarlett couldn’t exactly see it with her back to him. She couldn’t have been more right about her assumptions as to how he’d felt.

“I didn’t realize you were threatened by Scott until I was on the train.” Scarlett smiled slightly at this. “Tony Stark? Threatened by another man? And here I was thinking that you were the heartless son of a bitch the papers made you out to be only to find out that you are just as insecure as the rest of us. Then again… I realize how heartless I probably appear to people when they first meet me. I can’t imagine how much Pepper must _hate_ me after what I did to you. She probably thinks I was using you until the very end.”

Tony was nodding again, but Scarlett still couldn’t see him. He had to bite his tongue to keep from interrupting. She was almost done, he could tell but he wanted her to get it off of her chest so that if nothing else maybe she would start to feel a bit better. He’d managed to crush her confidence in a few hours and he hated himself for it.

“There’s something you should know about my relationship with Scott.” Scarlett began cautiously. “When we met he was a small mousy guy who… honestly wasn’t very good at his job. But we were partnered together on a medical project because when you’re in a third world country the most important and valuable sort of technology is the medical kind, well outside of weaponry.” Straightening her back, Scarlett felt far more comfortable and confident talking about this than she did talking about her conflicting emotions for Tony.

“He had a crush on me and honestly, most of the men I work with do when they first meet me. It’s a natural reaction. There aren’t a lot of women in this field and nonetheless strong, powerful, attractive women. I’m not incredibly vein but I’m not naïve enough to ignore what I look like. I figured he’d get over it but he kept following me around even after our work was done. He asked me out one night so I let him take me out but only so I could let him down easy. But… I got into some trouble and he took care of me that night. I felt guilty and it started a pretty destructive relationship from there.” Scarlett hadn’t seen the way things had gone with Scott were so terribly wrong until she’d been removed from it. Now that she’d had time to really examine her relationship with him, she knew she never belonged in it to begin with.

“Scott wanted me to be a wife, a mother and…some sweet and tender woman that I was just incapable of being. I crave excitement and danger… I need to be unpredictable! It’s just part of who I am and while I wasn’t opposed to eventually having a family he kept forcing the idea on me. It got to a point where I was wondering what was wrong with me. Why couldn’t I reciprocate the love that this man wanted me to give him? It was an obligation to be with Scott. Sex wasn’t fun. Even joking around with him wasn’t fun. Eventually I considered that maybe that was what relationships were supposed to be like. _Obligatory._ ” Scarlett found her fingers back at the scar on her chest. It was somewhat comforting to know it was there and she’d miss it after it faded.

“What I had with him was unhealthy, I know that and even though he’s alive I don’t want him back. But Tony… I _hated_ you. I hated you so much that I contemplated killing you.” Scarlett laughed, because it was still hard to believe. Her mind was still working on wrapping around how the change had happened. “But something about you made me like you in spite of everything I knew to be true about you. I felt ashamed at first because… something clearly had to be wrong with me for me to naturally start to develop feelings for someone as despicable and impossible as you. What kind of relationship nightmare would it be to actually try something with you? There isn’t a woman in this world that would be confident that it’d work out simply because of your past. As much as I say it’s _not_ an issue, it _is_. Your history with women and life in general is the biggest road block I’ve ever seen for a romance.”

“Still, in spite of it, no matter how many times I sat and coached myself that I couldn’t fall for you or get involved emotionally in something with you, it all flew out the window when you got close to me. Being around you was like poison and I couldn’t help myself. I still can’t help myself.” She corrected quickly. “I didn’t know how to handle it so when things kept blossoming naturally it was really scary. If you’d just told me about Scott, I would’ve told you that. If you’d asked me to choose I would’ve chosen you.” Scarlett sighed resolutely. She’d said all she needed to say and felt exhausted from the efforts.

Being emotional was far too much work. She missed being heartless and cruel. Or maybe she’d _never_ been as heartless as she’d like to think and it had all been a facade she’d kept up for years in hopes of never having to deal with the nasty things she’d done and the failure of a relationship she’d had with Scott. She leaned against the window and gently tapped her forehead against it in frustration. Now that she’d gotten everything off of her chest, she didn’t know what to say.

Tony realized she’d finished talking and cleared his throat. He was pretty sure that was the longest he’d stayed quiet without sleeping in his life. Even when he was alone he was talking to Jarvis or one of his other machines. It wasn’t like him to even sit completely still. Pepper had once compared him to an ADD ten year old with the libido of a nineteen year old. He found the comparison shockingly accurate.

Getting up from his spot on the edge of the bed, he carefully approached her near the window. Slowly he stepped next to her and glanced out the window she was no longer looking through. Her eyes were on the ground outside the balcony and he couldn’t blame her for avoiding eye contact.

“I’m sorry.” Tony had thought about three thousand dirty and sarcastic things while she’d been talking but they all seemed inappropriate. Once he’d gotten clear of the big flashing warning sign that was Scarlett’s body language, he’d be able to joke with her freely again and interrupt her to his heart’s content. Right now he was walking on a thin line and any wrong move could push him over it. She didn’t move or respond to him so he continued nervously. “You’re right. I was afraid that with Scott in the picture I’d lose you and so instead I pushed you away as hard as I could. That’s something I’m pretty good at.”

“I’ll give you that.” Scarlett muttered, giving him a sideways glance.

“I should’ve given you the chance to choose and I should’ve let you explain and instead I berated you and treated you like every other girl I’ve been with and god Scarlett, you couldn’t be any further from that.” Tony smiled hopefully. “I love you. I’ve never been in love with anything before. I mean… besides my cars. I love my cars and… I love myself, but I actually love _you_ and now that I’ve said it I don’t know if I can stop saying it.” He was pleased to see Scarlett actually smile when he said that.

“You don’t have to apologize.” Scarlett shook her head. Tony was glad to hear that but at the same time she hadn’t mentioned forgiveness _or_ love yet and it was making him antsy, which he already was by nature.

“I do have to apologize and I’ll probably be apologizing for a long time.” Tony was confident in his words, but not with Scarlett’s reaction. The whole situation was a big mess. When silence followed he shifted uncomfortably next to her. It was weird to try and keep his distance. He wanted to _touch_ her, to _play_ with her, to _flirt_ with her like he was used to and now he wasn’t sure he could because of some stupid words. “I don’t know what you want to do now.” He finally choked out, when silence continued between them. He needed to know where to go from there. Either way, he wasn’t giving up. Tony Stark was many things but _not_ a quitter.

“I don’t know either.” Scarlett glanced over at him at long last. Her eyes were sparkling with tears she’d never shed and she only looked at him for a moment. “I knew what I wanted this morning. I wanted _you_. I wanted you more than anything I’ve ever wanted before in my life. But you threw me away.” Placing her hands on her hips she exhaled deeply and then closed her eyes while giving her head a slight shake.

“Don’t say that… just don’t, look, don’t talk like that okay?” Tony stuttered on his words. “Please, I mean… Yeah I was a dick and I did stupid things but I can… well I’m working on that. I’m a work in progress, right? I mean you are too, it’s almost perfect…” Tony smiled hopefully, but his words were pleading. She couldn’t give up on him already; he wasn’t going to let her. Unfortunately the natural fluidity of his words had faded.

“How am I supposed to simply _forgive_ you for what you did?” Scarlett took a step away and laughed in disbelief. “What do you expect me to do? Just jump into your arms and tell you that it’s all okay that you said some of the most hurtful things you could think of because you were scared? That doesn’t make what you did _okay_ by any stretch.”

“I said I was sorry. I mean, I know it doesn’t change things but I really _am_ sorry and that is a huge thing for me. I _never_ apologize, even when I am wrong. You can ask Pepper that, she’ll vouch for it even if she _is_ mad at you. Actually _she_ sent me here, you know… to chase after you because she believes I love you. That’s huge! I mean if you didn’t believe me before, Pepper certainly can make you believe it.” Tony smiled hopefully, turning to fully face her and holding a hand out closer to her. He wasn’t going to let her run away from him this time. Though to be fair, the last time she hadn’t run away; he’d practically chased her out.

“Saying sorry doesn’t make me feel any less awful about what happened today.” Scarlett stood her ground. The intoxication of him being close hadn’t faded any, she was just finally learning how not to fall prey to it constantly. His explosion that morning had given her a chance to take a step back and see the destruction they were creating.

“I won’t let you throw away what we have because I did something stupid. I’m going to do a lot of stupid shit; it’s half of what I do! Is the pain I caused really outweighing whatever else is there?” Tony took a step toward Scarlett, to fill the gap she’d created. To his surprise she didn’t back down.

“But how am I supposed to look past that?”

“You can hold it over my head for as long as you like.” Tony smiled, that charming air about him finally coming back. “I don’t care if you’re mad at me. I know you’re hurt and that’s okay. You’re allowed to be hurt. Look if this relationship was all sunshine and kittens with two people as insane as we are then I wouldn’t want it and I know you wouldn’t want it either.”

“At least you’re right about something today.”

“Below the belt.”

“How was _that_ below the belt? I don’t think you have any right to accuse me of _anything_ below the belt.” Scarlett rolled her eyes.

“Oh no, don’t you adopt Pepper’s habits. There will be no eye rolling at least not while you’re facing me. At least _try_ to hide your disdain.”

“It’s not disdain, it’s just absurd for you to tell me that what I said about you being incredibly wrong today was below the belt when you told me I was basically some slut who gave it up to you like every other girl. Pretty sure you’re wrong about this one, too.” Scarlett pointed at him. Tony grabbed her hand and pulled her close forcefully.

“Hey, I said I’m sorry. I’m not good at being wrong.” Tony couldn’t help but laugh. Something eased in the tension between them and he felt more comfortable. Scarlett shook her head in dismay.

“It is _not_ fair that I can’t be mad at you.” Scarlett glanced back out the window. “You made me walk miles in bare feet and inappropriate dress and I still can’t seem to stay mad.”

“Well, I think you’re _definitely_ mad at me you just can’t help but like me in spite of that.” Tony shrugged, inching himself closer and shoving his hands in his pockets with his shoulders shrugged. “I think despite it all, you still like me a considerable amount.”

“What does it mean if my gut is telling me that I wish I didn’t like you so much?” Scarlett looked back toward him. There was a heavy sadness in her eyes, a lost look he couldn’t quite place.

“Come on, Scarlett.” Tony groaned in frustration then placed both his hands on her arms, throwing caution to the wind. “We both suck at this.”

“Words of confidence.” Scarlett squirmed in an attempt to push his hands away and couldn’t help but smile when he didn’t relent and kept his grip tight on her.

“You should hate me, but you don’t.” Tony whispered as he pulled her closer to him. She nodded.

“I’m pretty mad at you though.” She scoffed, pushing his hand off of her arm only to find him replacing it immediately.

“Someday you’re not going to be mad at me and then what’s left?” Tony let go of her when she pushed his hands away again.

“I don’t know.” Scarlett hung her head and shook it in apprehension. “How am I supposed to _know_ if I’m still mad at you?”

“Whatever you feel for me, it’s something that’s stronger than how mad you are at me. All I’m asking is that you can see that and admit it.” Tony brushed her rebellious hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Scarlett closed her eyes and visibly stiffened with discomfort. How many times had she dreamt of him doing that for her on the train when her hair had gotten in her way?

“I don’t know, Tony! Right now I’m torn between kissing you and breaking your ribs.” Scarlett took a deep breath.

“Let me help you with that.” Tony placed his hand on the side of neck and pulled her lips to his, kissing her desperately. He hadn’t kissed her since the night before but considering everything that had transpired since those sensual kisses, he felt like it’d been weeks. Scarlett didn’t respond at first, she hesitated and considered actually shoving him away hard enough to put some distance between them. But there was that scruff on her chin again and it gave her the shivers.

Maybe Tony was right. Maybe she could be mad at him and still be with him. Could she both hate _and_ love him? It was bound to make things confusing but everything about his lips against hers felt _right_ and there was much to be said for such a feeling.

So instead of pulling away and launching into an angry spray of words like she had convinced herself she _should_ do, Scarlett threw her arms around Tony’s shoulders and shortened the gap between them and then finally returned the kiss he was giving her. She could feel Tony’s lips curling into a smile against hers and his arms falling around her waist to give her the short boost up she needed to be at his height.

Now that she’d given in to the urge to return his sentiment, she was relieved. There was no chance for her when it came to what she had with Tony. Whatever confused feelings she had for him were stronger than any willpower she’d conjured up. Fighting against it was futile and for the first time in her life she considered it was something beyond her control. Maybe love _wasn’t_ a story told to little girls to give them hope for something better. Love was just incredibly hard to find and Scarlett was beginning to think she was lucky for having stumbled into it, even if it meant it was with the one person she would’ve never suspected.

But being in love didn’t mean she had to stop being who she was to be a part of it. Scarlett had bigger fish to fry than Tony Stark and his romantic gestures. She wouldn’t give up on it just be his lover.

At that moment none of what came next mattered. All that mattered was the taste of his lips and his arms around her. When he finally pulled away from her lips he left only a short gap between them and couldn’t help himself.

“I’m guessing you decided against breaking my ribs.” Tony’s confident smirk returned, right where it belonged. Scarlett narrowed her eyes, balled her fist and jabbed Tony hard in the side. It wasn’t a hard enough blow to break his ribs or even bruise his skin but it did make him jump in surprise and initially lurch with the jab.

“That’s for calling me a worthless slut.” Scarlett grinned, not taking her eyes away from Tony’s and watching the discomfort and pain that flit over his features.

“…I deserved that.” Tony took a deep breath. “Honestly, I’m just glad you didn’t go for the face.”

“I think you said to me once that if I broke your nose you wouldn’t be as pretty and I think I agree.” Scarlett set her feet down so she wasn’t straining them any longer. Tony glanced down at them and pouted comically.

“I can’t believe you walked all that way without shoes. Couldn’t you have stolen shoes?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be a super hero and you know, telling me that kind of thing is wrong?” Scarlett expected him to let her go but he kept his hands at her sides.

“I’m morally reprehensible forty two percent of the time.” Tony shook his head, one eye closed as he did some mock calculations in his mind. Scarlett laughed and shook her head but ultimately agreed with him. “…though to be fair if you’re going to date me you should probably cut that thievery crap out.”

“Oh, so I’m dating you again, am I?” Scarlett pursed her lips and leaned back just a little only to find that Tony was definitely not going to let go of her sides. There were so many unresolved issues it scared her, but they had time to figure that out in the long run. Right now it was just nice to know that Tony was a certainty in her life.

“Of _course_ , you’re dating me again. I mean, what else did you plan on doing? I guess we could, you know, not date and still have sex but I would prefer to think that it would be _more_ fun if we _did_ date and also had sex. A lot of it at that.” Tony nodded vigilantly, doing his best to look innocent, though Scarlett was sure that look wasn’t in his repertoire.

“You really don’t expect to get laid after that, do you?” Scarlett actually laughed and swatted at his hand on her side when he comically wiggled his hips against hers.

“It seems fitting, doesn’t it? And besides you just said that I was a super hero. Don’t heroes always get the girl?”

“Not in the real world.” Scarlett shook her head no. “In the real world it’s much more complicated than who gets what.”

“Why does it have to be?” Tony pulled his hand from her side and hooked his index finger under his chin so she would look back up at him.

“Because if life and love were as easy as getting what we wanted then we’d both be terribly bored.” Scarlett placed her hand against Tony’s under her chin and guided it away. He grabbed her hand and laced his fingers with hers then kissed her knuckles.

“I already told you,” Tony began, his eyes still on hers with her hand close to his lips, “There has never been a moment where you bored me.” Scarlett let out a surprised laugh under her breath and shook her head.

“You’re an ass.” She murmured, leaning against him and taking a deep breath, still looking up at him.

“But I’m _your_ ass.” Tony reached down to pat her backside, resulting in another laugh from Scarlett.

“Someday I’m going to really break something on you just out of reflex.”

“I will proudly tell everyone just how I sustained such a wound.” Tony’s lips curled into a smile.

“Of all the gin joints in all the towns, in all the world… It had to be you.” Scarlett sighed remorsefully.

“If I didn’t love you before I’d definitely be head over heels now.” Tony was surprised by her reference, but pleased. Pop culture references were something of a hobby for him.

“You’re secretly a huge nerd.” Scarlett jabbed at his chest with her index finger.

“Now you’re just abusing me.” Tony grabbed her finger and pulled it away from his chest, slipping his arms back around her. “Now stop making fun of me and kiss me.”

“Why don’t you make me?” Scarlett pursed her lips in amusement.

“That I can do.” Picking Scarlett up, Tony slipped an arm beneath her knees and cradled her in his arms.

“I can’t believe you really think you’re going to get laid.” Scarlett laughed, leaning her head back and then cooed softly as he brushed his lips underneath her chin, purposely letting his scruff brush against her skin.

“You say you can’t believe it but I think you understand it exactly.” Tony purred softly as he continued to kiss down her neck. His knee then knocked against the edge of the bed and he dropped Scarlett on top of it. She laid back and laughed, covering her mouth as Tony leaned comically over and grabbed onto his knee to rub the spot where he’d bumped it against the hardwood frame. 

Scarlett sat up and then patted the spot on the bed next to her to signal him to come and sit with her. Tony slowly made his way onto the bed and sat down next to Scarlett, glancing back at her over his shoulder.

“Smooth.” Scarlett rubbed his knee comfortingly.

“You throw me off my game.” Tony smirked. It felt good to know that things were slowly going to work back to normal, even if it took awhile. He knew it wasn’t going to be as simple as saying he was sorry and moving on with their lives, but he was willing to work for this. Tony had spent his life searching for something he didn’t know he was missing.

“Oh yes, it’s all _my_ fault.” Scarlett sighed softly.

“I think you owe me an apology as a matter of fact.” Tony smirked, laying back on the bed so that he could be closer to her and turning his head to the side. Despite their playful nature she looked strained, worried. He wondered if he looked as tense and out of it as she did. Their lives were far from easy and their story was far from over, but if nothing else he would always have her there for him and he would do the same for her. 

“I’m pretty sure that I am exempt from owing you an apology for at least a year.” Scarlett stared up at the ceiling and shook her head with a quiet laugh beneath her breath. It felt good to smile again but she was far from settled. There was still much to be done and a long way to travel before she found uninterrupted sleep. Her nightmares were far from over.

“A year? Does that mean you’re agreeing to date me again?” Tony looked hopeful, rolling onto his side, propping his hand beneath his head. His other hand slowly crawled across the hotel comforter and onto her stomach, resting there over the dress she’d run off in. He felt guilty again. The first woman he’d ever loved so truly and what did he do? He chased her out of his house barefoot.

“Let’s let time really determine that, shall we? I’m just saying…”

“I mean you signed a contract to work on that energy project with me so you have more than just little old me as a reason to stay here.” Tony pursed his lips and scooted closer to her on the bed, letting his fingers brush against the fabric of the black dress she wore once more.

“I did, but contracts always have loopholes and I’m pretty good at abusing loopholes.” Scarlett reached down to place her hand over his on her stomach and closed her eyes.

“I assure you the only loopholes in that contract are there to benefit me. Pepper’s something of a legal wiz.”

“She would have to be with you for a boss.” Scarlett puckered her lips to hide her smile and cracked one eyelid open so she could glance up at him, finding him leaning over her now. He’d crept his way close enough to prop himself above her without her even noticing. “Oh come on, my eyes were only closed for a second.”

“That was more than I needed.” Tony brushed her hair away from her face, one of his new favorite things to do. He wanted to tell her what the media really meant and how unlike the women from his past she was, but he knew that the time would come for such a discussion and right then and there they were both too mentally drained to deal with that particular hurdle.

“A lady _never_ likes to hear that.” Tony chuckled grateful Scarlett wasn’t pushing him away. It was different than it used to be but it was progress. Scarlett was hiding something from him and he was sure he would hear about it before the night’s end. Tony had let out his secret, but in too destructive a way and he was sure he’d feel the shockwaves of such a quake for a long time coming.

“I thought that after what we’ve _been_ through you would know better than to take it that way.” Tony was glad she was joking with him again, but wasn’t pleased to find her so sad when she looked back up at him. Tony’s smile faded and he brought his hand to her cheek, brushing his thumb against her skin. Usually when Pepper was sad he’d just buy her something or bust her balls but something was different about Scarlett’s sadness. He wanted to make it better. Why wasn’t she smiling? Shouldn’t she be happy they figured out a way to make things work?

“I just like to give you a hard time.” Scarlett held up her hand before he could respond and her lips curled into a small smile. “Yes, I know you would much rather give _me_ a hard time. I get it…”

“Believe it or not that was not what I was going to say. But that was a good one. I’m going to keep that in mind.” Tony smirked and let his hand slowly travel down the side of her neck.

“Well then please, enlighten me Casanova. What were you going to say?” Scarlett looked tired, but batted her eyelashes at him anyway. His touch was giving her goose bumps along her neck.

“I was going to say I’m sorry.” Tony’s smile faded and he avoided eye contact. “You never really let me say it properly. You told me not to apologize and while I did before it wasn’t the same. But I am sorry and you should cherish because I don’t apologize for _anything_ I do. And I… this time I _was_ wrong and I _was_ an idiot and I _am_ sorry.” Tony watched her reaction, seeing the same sad look behind her eyes, but despite that look she still had a smile on her lips.

“I forgive you.” Scarlett nodded slowly and then urged her hand to his cheek. “You owe me some really awesome shoes though. My feet are killing me.” While she was joking with him freely, Tony could still her upset.

“I will buy you a hundred pairs of shoes if it would stop you from giving me that look.” Tony was playing with her hair now, something he hadn’t meant to do, but had started doing nonchalantly and found he was enjoying.

“What look?”

“You look sad.” Tony pouted and kissed her chin, letting his lips linger there. It occurred to him that he hadn’t kissed her more than the one time which was what he’d expected to spend most of his time doing if he could ever get her to calm down and forgive him. It had been but he’d been more concerned about rejection then.

“Sad?” Scarlet was certainly surprised by his observation.

“Yeah, sad… You’re smiling and laughing but you’re still hiding something.” Scarlett’s smile faded and she glanced aside. Tony brushed his hand over her cheek and urged her to look back at him, glancing at her expectantly.

“It’s been a very long and confusing month, Tony.” Scarlett finally spoke when she realized that Tony wasn’t simply going to let it slide.

“Life’s been pretty long and confusing.” Tony pushed her hair out of her face and let his hand linger there, watching her reaction. She sighed softly and gave a short nod to agree. “I know we’re far from perfect, but we’ll figure it out together, okay?”

“You can’t expect me to take relationship advice from you.” Scarlett laughed and tilted her head to the side, moistening her lips.

“Hey, I’m trying. Give me some credit.”

“You’re very sweet, Tony.”

“Damn right.” Tony leaned closer, watching her lips while she spoke. He waited for her to speak but before she got a word out he found his lips with hers. While he hadn’t meant to kiss her, he didn’t exactly pull away either. Scarlett couldn’t hear the sound of her own thoughts past the beating of her heart. Amidst the confusion, the hurt, and the anxiety they’d always have the tension brewing between them and Scarlett knew that even if she had gotten away, someday he would’ve found her and the cycle would’ve started over again from the beginning. Their romance was unavoidable and she knew it would always be that way.

Tony hadn’t intended to kiss her, nonetheless kiss her for so long. He tilted his head, to further their kissing and did so until his lips felt sore. Even then he refused to stop. When they were kissing, he wasn’t thinking about any of the further complications or repercussions that lay ahead, instead he only thought of her lips and how they sent shocks down his spine and practically made him feverish.

Scarlett couldn’t deny that this was what she wanted. She was as much a sexual being as Tony was, though wasn’t nearly as public about the things she’d done in her past. But before Tony it had only been a means to an end and after him it had become something amazing that she craved over and over again. It was so wrong it was right.

Slipping her arm carefully around Tony’s middle, she pulled him closer to her. When he pulled from her lips she got nervous that he was pulling away. She wasn’t sure why it felt so important to keep him close, all she knew was that she needed him in her arms. Gripping his shirt she followed his lips as they pulled away and found that he was only catching his breath due to the length of their kissing. Usually he would’ve made some kind of comment about her needing him or desperation but even he seemed to know how important this moment was between them.

Without giving it a second thought, Scarlett found the lining of the black shirt Tony was wearing and started to tug it upward, until the hem of the cloth caught her hand and she managed to pull it up far enough to his shoulders, it moving awkwardly up over his stomach and chest. Parting just long enough from her lips so he could discard the shirt over his head, Tony tossed it aside and returned hungrily to their kiss.

Taking her actions as the okay to move further on, Tony reached behind her in search of the hook at the top of her dress, which he found already undone. In her haste to leave the house earlier she hadn’t bothered with it. So instead he found the zipper that went down her back and when he had a hard time tugging it beneath her, Scarlett sat up. Pushing her hair over her shoulder, she glanced up at him expectantly. Tony kissed her again, and slid his hand back to her zipper which he tugged down with his ease, his free hand following it along the length of her spine, caressing over the strap of her bra and her bare skin.

Tony slid his hands back up over her flesh, creating goose bumps beneath the callused fingers that had done so much work over the years. His hands moved the cloth of her dress further off of her body until his hands rested on her shoulders. Slowly he tugged and urged her left arm out of the dress, Scarlett assisting him in the process, but unfortunately the fabric didn’t allow for him to only remove the one sleeve with ease and the dress’ shoulder strap got stuck around her wrist.

Scarlett tried to tug her wrist free, but found it quite stuck and was forced to pull away from Tony’s lips in the process. Glancing at her hand and then her other arm she laughed. Tony joined her in this amusement before returning to her lips between small bouts of laughter that followed. Urging her arm back through the sleeve of the dress, Tony then tugged both sleeves down in the same instance, until her top was bare except for her undergarments.

Leaning back on her elbows, Scarlett lifted her backside to allow Tony to pull the dress away from where it hung on her hips only to be discarded over his shoulder nonchalantly. Then he crawled over her and kissed her again, his lips drawn to hers in an indescribable way. The light from his reactor was bright enough to fill the whole room so as Tony leaned Scarlett back against the pillows of the bed, he reached toward the nightstand and flipped off the light.

But when the light didn’t fade entirely he sighed in defeat and glanced toward the other side of the bed where a second light was glowing on the nightstand. Glancing back toward Scarlett he offered a charming smile.

“I miss Jarvis.” Crawling past her to turn the light off on the other side of the bed, Tony was expecting a snide remark about the poor billionaire having to turn off his own lights and was instead surprised by Scarlett’s response.

“I do too.” Scarlett laid on the pillow, propping herself up on her elbow to watch Tony as he crawled back to her on the bed. 

“Sometimes I think you have as much of a crush on him as he does on you.” Scarlett smiled mysteriously in response and shrugged her shoulders. Reaching to easily undo the button on his jeans, he unzipped and tugged them down and kicked them off the bed. Slowly climbing over her again with no intentions of moving away until he had finished, Tony suddenly recalled earlier in the night when she’d insisted he wasn’t getting laid.

“Tony?” He hadn’t realized he’d hesitated until Scarlett was drawing his attention, her hand on his cheek and brushing lightly into his perfectly manicured goatee.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” He blurted out before he had thought it. Furrowing his brow he glanced to the side in confusion. Had those words _really_ come out of his mouth? Then again, he didn’t want Scarlett to have sex with him simply because _he_ wanted to. Not after what he’d done earlier in the day. If they were going to lay together again then he wanted her to want it just as badly as he did. Apparently his mouth had realized that long before his brain had, which was peculiar enough for Tony that it threw him off.

“I know.” Scarlett nodded her head and her lip curled in a smirk. “I want to.” She wouldn’t do it just because Tony wanted to. It wasn’t in her nature to be so easy on him or anyone.

“Oh, thank god.” Tony laughed, letting his head hang down, his lips close to her chest and instinctively brushing against the skin there. He let his scruff rub against her skin, hearing the soft coo in reaction to it that he’d grown positively addicted to. “I’m sort of past the point of no return already.”

“I know.” Scarlett brushed her fingers over the front of his boxers tauntingly, her hand brushing over the excitement beneath them that rendered them too tight to fit properly. Tony’s eyes rolled into his head for a brief moment as he enjoyed the sensation of her fingers against him.

“Okay, that’s just _mean_.” Tony whispered, his voice lower than only seconds beforehand.

“You love every second of it.” Scarlett spoke quietly, biting her lip in a mischievous smile. She couldn’t help that he made her feel sexy. Brushing her fingers up his arm slowly, raising goose bumps on his skin as her hands delicately caresses his muscles. She ran her fingers artfully over his shoulders, across his shoulders blades and down the length of his back. His muscles flexed beneath her touch from the effort of keeping his body hovering over hers. Tony stared dumbfounded by the reaction her touch gave him.

Regaining his senses, Tony leaned down, purposely not resting on his elbows and instead using his muscles to keep himself crouched over her as he kissed over her neck and chest. Scarlett laughed, quite pleased that he had done so but not willing to actually admit it. Continuing to brush her hands over his back, making small patterns across his skin with her fingers, Scarlett stopped and traced something over his skin. Tony visibly shivered and shook the feeling off, trying to decipher in his head what she wrote but unfortunately his thoughts were far more concerned with what was happening between his legs.

Finally leaning on one of his forearms and his knees, Tony gently urged her thighs apart so that he could rest comfortably between them. Scarlett helped with the process and wiggled to get more comfortable against the hotel bed. Hands still traveling slowly down his back she finally reached his boxer briefs and started to tug them away, her hands playing with their lining.

Tony grabbed onto the edges of her panties and started to tug them down at the same time. He wanted to trap the intimate feeling they’d managed to create because it wasn’t one he’d experienced before. Intimacy had always been avoided, at least for him. Tony never wanted it more than he did now. With Scarlett, it was comforting and alluring, when other times it had just been scary and awkward. His fear of commitment seemingly no longer mattered.

Stopping when she could no longer reach to push his boxers further, Scarlett glanced down at him to see he was pulling away. His lips slowly trailed down her chest and to her stomach. He kissed over her hip bone and nuzzled his nose there. There were faint traces of fading scars that he hadn’t quite noticed on prior occasions. He made it a mission then and there to memorize every bit of her and to learn the stories of her scars and somehow he knew she would do the same someday.

Tugging her panties off of her thighs, over her knees and freeing them from her ankles, Tony tossed them away with the other clothes. Glancing up at her, he kissed the side of her knee and brushed his hands down her thighs. She was looking at him curiously and while he contemplated doing things to her that would make her scream in ecstasy long before he got started, he saw something in her eyes that made him once again feel the need to return to her lips. That same sadness was there, and he realized it had very little to do with him. While he was relieved, there was also worry in the back of his mind; worry that didn’t matter when he had the heat of excitement rushing through his body with full throttle adrenaline. 

In the light of the reactor, he watched her as she pushed her hair away and then curled her index finger in hopes of luring him back to her. The smile he loved so much returned to her face and so he complied and returned right to her lips, pushing her head back down onto the pillows with the force of his kiss. Tony wriggled his hips and kicked his boxers off and away, finally having to fling them off of his left foot when they got caught which resulted in a laugh from Scarlett.

“Don’t laugh at me.” Tony murmured against her lips, before kissing them again, leaving playful nibbles on her bottom lip as he did so.

“But it’s so _easy_.” Scarlett smirked, brushing her fingers through his short hair. There was something about that action that excited her. Her heart was racing full throttle and her body was shivering with excitement all because of _him_. Once again he laid with her, in all his glory and somehow it felt like the first time all over again. It was cliché and ridiculous but Scarlett couldn’t lie to herself about the way it made her feel. 

Suddenly Scarlett was one of those women she had rolled her eyes at, who had inexplicable feelings all because of some guy who was charming the hell out of her. The best part was that she didn’t _care._ Now that she had it in her life she didn’t want to lose it. But she wouldn’t let it consume her either. Well, for the moment it was okay to let it consume her.

Tony slipped her bra straps off of her shoulders but Scarlett stopped him, brought back to reality by his touches.

“Let me help this time…” Slowly she reached to adjust the bra but clicked her tongue and couldn’t help but smile in surprise as Tony had reached around her in an instant and unclipped her bra. “Well then.” He had a satisfied smirk on his face and offered her a playful wink.

“If there’s one thing I learned to do at an early age it was take off a bra, Miss Damien…” Tony pulled it away from where it lay useless on her chest and tossed it aside. Instantly he laid on top of her, taking his place between her thighs once more. Purposely he rested the arc reactor against the spot it had burned the first time they’d been together. Once again, the reactor was warmer than it should’ve been but instead of being nervous about it, it thrilled Tony to know that anyone could cause that reaction. For the first time, the reactor truly felt like _part_ of him rather than just a machine that kept him alive.

“I guess even with all I know about you, I’m still surprised by your cunning in such areas, Mr. Stark.” Scarlett chuckled, and then urged him to come closer to her again, wanting to kiss him again but he spoke instead. She sighed in frustration.

“I think I might be insulted.” Tony playfully growled.

“Shut up and kiss me…” Scarlett brushed her hands down his back and playfully tapped his butt to get him going. Tony’s eyebrows shot up comically and then nodded his head.

“I’d say make me but I think you actually would… that’s for another day though.” Tony purred against her lips before kissing her again deeply. Not waiting for an okay or confirmation, Tony slowly reached between his legs and adjusted himself so he was right against her, feeling her physically trembling in reaction to him. Then while still locked in her kiss he pushed his way inside of her.

Scarlett pulled from his lips temporarily to gasp in response to the sensation. Despite their having done this multiple times now, it felt new and wonderful. Even that jolt of the beginning of their lovemaking made her see stars. It was astonishing considering how it had always been just sex with prior lovers. Now it was something completely new and exciting for them both.

Leaning her head back, Scarlett arched her back and allowed her body to settle with him within her. Tony brushed her hair back again and then urged his hand beneath her back, fingers tracing along the arch of her spine and looking down at her chest hungrily. Slowly he rocked his hips against her, to stimulate them both further and watched the way her body bounced in reaction to him. He had a few choice naughty words for her in his head right then and there but he decided against using them. There would be other times for them to play around and explore each other more physically, or at least Tony hoped there would be.

“Tony…” Scarlett exhaled his name and grabbed his hair, urging his lips back to hers in an intimate kiss. Slowly she urged her back down in place again on the pillows but felt Tony keeping his hand there.

Positioning his other hand next to her on the bed, Tony continued to kiss her and then slowly pulled his hips away just slightly only to push back into her, starting a slow and rhythmic motion with her to increase the friction they’d already managed to build up.

Her hands graced over the back of his neck, fingers caressing the small hairs there in hopes of giving him goose bumps, and it was a successful endeavor. Tony had to shake off the chills that ran down his spine and he groaned loudly in response to the touch. Words had, for once, escaped him in the heat of the moment. Her lips seemed far more important than anything to him. He could see that her lips were swollen and red and looked painful from the effort of kissing him so much. It was like he’d missed so much time doing so that he wanted to make up for it and she clearly felt the same way.

Finally needing to focus more on the way his hips were moving in a slow rhythm to build tension further inside of her, Tony gritted his teeth and groaned. Scarlett gasped and moaned with her mouth open as he did so. She urged her hands to his shoulders, nails tracing down his back as she moved her hips with his in an effort to bring him as much pleasure and excitement as he was making for her. Her hips trembled and her thighs quaked with excitement as she felt him urging in and out of her.

She leaned her head to the side, bit her lip and gripped tighter at his back as she did. It was too much to bear and she was closer than she should’ve been so early on in their lovemaking. Tony knew just where to touch her and just how to move to get her going.

Noticing this change in her body, Tony slipped his hand away from beneath her back and caressed over her thigh. Watching her expression change and her body arch, he kissed over her neck.

“Don’t hold back, Scarlett…” He urged between heavier breaths. His skin was coated with a thin layer of sweat, beads of it starting to drip against Scarlett’s flesh. Slowly he returned his lips to her neck and then urged his hand between her legs. Skillfully he urged his fingers over the front of her the more sensitive area of her body. Finding the place he knew would cause her the most pleasure, he brushed his fingers against it and continued to do so in the same motions in which he was pushing.

“Oh _fuck_ ,” Scarlett cursed, unable to help herself in the heat of the moment. Tony groaned against her skin to hear her reaction to his touches. It was just what he’d wanted from her. He’d never had a woman so physically excited by him. Her body was fighting the natural reaction he was building up within her but he wanted to make her let go. It was the least he could do considering what he’d put her through.

Tony yelped in surprise and pulled his head up when Scarlett pulled on his hair and hard. It was alluring but had taken him by surprise. She wanted his lips again and planned on getting them one way or another. Smirking down at her he urged his lips to hers hard, engulfing them entirely as he started to urge his body faster against hers.

Scarlett broke away from the kiss she’d so desperately wanted to cry out as her body hits its climactic peak and succumbed to wave after wave of sudden pleasure that left her thighs feeling crippled. Her hips twitched and her skin felt unnaturally warm as she gripped harder at his hair and cried out for him over and over again. The heat came from somewhere within her.

Tony watched her face contort with pleasure, his mouth hanging open and had to practically hold his breath to keep from reaching his end then and there. Instead he continued to move steadily as her body contracted around him and tried to force him to his finishing point. He urged his finger to continue against her in time with his motions which only sent her reeling for longer than she would have naturally gone.

Scarlett arched her body and squirmed beneath him, making feeble attempts to keep moving with him through her climax. Just as the times before it, her orgasm felt completely different, new and amazing. It overwhelmed her and made her see stars and reaffirmed to her that it wasn’t just lust that was driving her to want Tony, but something more intense.

“Oh Tony… Tony, oh _god_ … oh god…” Scarlett whimpered and continued to whisper his name as she moved. Once the pleasure started to fade she was able to gather more of her bearings and continued her hips against his but Tony wasn’t going to let that last very long.

As her body remained arched, he kissed down her chest and nipped over her breasts, his tongue paying attention to every bit of her to give her the attention she deserved. Groaning against her skin he was delighted to find that the sound of his voice against her skin gave her goose bumps despite how warm their bodies were.

“Scarlett,” Tony groaned, without having meant to. It was so natural for her name to escape his lips in the heat of passion and once he said it he had a hard time stopping. Reaching beneath her back again he urged her to continue arching her body for him and kissed over her breasts still as he suddenly started to move his hips faster in a new and completely different rhythm. Scarlett cursed beneath her breath again, her thighs already incredibly numb and her toes tingling from the way he’d brought her to the edge.

“Oh…” Scarlett gasped and groaned, reaching down for Tony’s hair again and giving it another playful tug, resulting in a much louder exclamation from Tony than the last time. He was getting further lost in the passion of their lovemaking and stared at her with his mouth hanging open. The pleasure on his face astounded her and she urged him to continue, slipping both her arms around his shoulders to pull his body closer against his.

She cried out as the reactor touched her chest again, hotter than it had been moments before and surely renewing the scar that had finally started to fade on her chest. Tony kissed her passionately as often as he could but his breath was too short and haggard to keep it up for long periods of time. A few more minutes they rocked together, though neither could really tell how much time had transpired. Finally Tony couldn’t take anymore. As much as he wanted to bring her to ecstasy again he needed to give into the tension that had built up so intensely within him that he cried out and had to hold his body still as he finished. Warm pleasure rushed through his hips and spread to her, the result of their end together. 

Much to his surprise, Scarlett was crying out again too, and not just because of the finishing touches of their lovemaking. Her body was twitching and hitting its climax a second time, just as intensely as the first. Between kisses they groaned and cried out while they rode out the pleasure that they’d shared together.

Passion kept them going for a few long moments before Tony had to slow his hips down. He was pleased to find that Scarlett could no longer keep up the heavy pace either, that she needed to slow her body down. Her hips were twitching and her thighs so numb she could barely move with him any longer.

Together they slowly rocked their hips to a stop. Tony let his hand slowly guide Scarlett’s back down from the way she’d arched it and then brushed over her arm and up to her shoulder, where he pushed her sweaty hair away from her skin. He didn’t want to stop kissing her, despite the desperate need for oxygen so he kept at her lips as often as he could. Scarlett did the same, small noises of exhaustion and pleasure escaping from them both as the seconds passed. Soon Scarlett needed to gather her breath, her lungs aching for the air they’d been deprived of during their lovemaking.

Tony, unwilling to stop his kisses, turned his attention back to her neck where his lips relentlessly moved against her skin. His body was spent and satisfied but it didn’t mean he was done with her, like he would’ve been with other women. The last two times they’d made love, they hadn’t gotten to truly enjoy the moments afterward and had instead manipulated each other. This time, Tony was going to make sure they both savored the time they had.

Brushing his lips over her skin, his chest still pressed against hers, he concentrated on the rising and falling of Scarlett’s chest as she regained her breathing properly, a smile still on her face. He could feel her heart still racing in her chest. Slowly Tony slipped his hips away from hers, but kept lying on top of her afterward. It would be a feat, but he was determined to pull the hotel blankets on top of them so they could transition into sleep.

Scarlett looked exhausted, he could tell by the quick glances he stole of her between kisses on her neck. Deviously he started to suck and bite at her skin, intent on marking her. Realizing just what he was doing, Scarlett swatted at his shoulder and laughed.

“Hey… _hey_ now…” She whispered, her voice sounding weak and strained.

“Hmm?” Tony playfully and purposely bit at her neck again, concentrating on the one area that seemed the most susceptible to his lips.

“Don’t do that, we’re _not_ teenagers…” Scarlett laughed, watching him. Tony purposely sucked on her skin again, mischief in his eyes. Once he was sure he’d left a mark on her skin he pulled away triumphantly.

“Says who?” Tony whispered before finding her lips again. Scarlett shook her head in dismay but her eyes were already drifting closed with fatigue. Tony made himself comfortable next to her, his head resting against her shoulder and arms around her tightly. Scarlett smiled as he held her, relieved to be cradled in such a way. It was weird to think, but she felt safe and comforted by his arms encircled around her. She’d never required anyone to protect her before, but it felt nice to know that he was willing to do so if she asked. And he had been her knight in shining titanium alloy enough times that she couldn’t really deny that the comforting feeling he brought was entirely justified.

“You’re such a dick…” Scarlett whispered as she closed her eyes, feeling spent and heavy from the long day she’d had.

“I know. But you love me.” Tony whispered, though he had never actually received confirmation from her. Scarlett glanced down at him, her eyes half lidded but still smiling at where he had his head rested on her shoulder.

“I do and you’re lucky.” She answered simply. Tony smiled widely and kissed her shoulder, closing his eyes as he snuggled here. Finally he’d gotten what he’d wanted and they started the path to forgiveness and the relationship they should’ve started weeks ago when their tension had first pulled them together.

Scarlett fell asleep quickly in his arms; Tony could feel it in her breathing. For awhile, he laid awake and watched her sleep but not because he wasn’t tired. It was just nice to see her looking peaceful and happy. There were no nightmares plaguing her. Maybe if he could hold her like that every night, he could stop the nightmares altogether.

With that thought in his head to comfort him, Tony’s eyes became too heavy to keep open and he gave into the sleep that he more than desperately needed after having gotten barely any the previous night when his guilty thoughts had kept him awake.


	39. Love

Comforting sleep only lasted for a mere hour or two before the nightmares started. Scarlett tossed and turned throughout the remainder of the night, riddled with bad dreams manifested by overwhelming guilt and fear of the future. Each time she woke up, she found Tony’s arms still around her and considered she could find sleep. He was warm, and each time she fidgeted to try and ease up the tension building from her nightmares, he tightened his grip on her. 

Eventually Scarlett gave up on the prospect of a full night’s sleep and lay awake in the hotel bed thinking. Thinking alone in the dark in the middle of the night was _never_ a good idea and considering the prior day’s events. Shining in the pale blue light from his arc reactor Tony lay asleep next to her, occasionally snoring or grumbling in his sleep. What she’d done with Tony had at long last felt _right_ but there was still the question of what came next. She felt no guilt for what she’d done with him and judging by how well he was sleeping, Scarlett guessed that Tony wasn’t feeling guilty anymore either. If only it was as simple as that for her, but she knew it wasn’t. Part of her knew that Tony would realize that too.

Shifting in bed again, Scarlett couldn’t sit still any longer and started to slide out of it to get some fresh air but felt Tony’s arms, still lightly against her stomach, suddenly strengthen their grip on him and pull her securely back against him. Covering her mouth to stifle a laugh, Scarlett shook her head and resigned to continuing to lie around in bed with Tony despite her rebellious thoughts. He crept unconsciously closer when he realized she wasn’t right up against him. Once close enough, his chin brushed against her bare shoulder and gave her the chills all the way down her spine. Soon enough he was snuggled once more against her side, a smile spread across his face.

This distracted her successfully for awhile and she drifted off for a few seconds. In the darkness she saw visions of horror from her past; things that wouldn’t linger long on her memory but would make her skin crawl for hours. Furrowing her brow, Scarlett tried to shake off the feeling multiple nightmares left her with, but it wasn’t so simple. Glancing over at Tony she saw that he still had a smile on his face and was glad for that. Her body allowed just enough relaxation for her to stop grinding her teeth together.

Watching him sleep for twenty minutes Scarlett couldn’t help but be enamored by him. She seemingly comforted him in his slumber and allowed him enough relief to finally relax. This was something Scarlett wasn’t used to. She’d always caused Scott stress and had very rarely brought him comfort. Even though she had every intention of ruining his life when she’d first arrived at the Stark Mansion, somehow Scarlett had managed to make Tony genuinely _happy_ in the end. Things couldn’t have been any more backwards than she had intended them to be and she couldn’t complain.

It was the first time where her lover’s happiness had actually mattered to her in a relationship. Romance had never been very high on her list of priorities and suddenly it was in her top ten. Cause and effect had always been more of a soldier’s agenda for her. She did the good she could for the world from the shadows and made her bed in the destruction. There had never been a chance to stop for real romance or to think about her personal future at least not until she had met Tony and had fallen for him. The thought alone that this could change her whole world scared the _hell_ out of her.

_If_ Scarlett stayed with Tony in Malibu she would finally be doing something for _herself_ and not for a paycheck. The more she thought about it, the more she realized the only thing she’d ever really done for _her_ had been to run away from home and go to college after getting early acceptance. Two decades later and she was realizing that the life filled with adventure and intrigue was less of a life and more of a mission. Even though she’d decided this thing with Tony was something she wanted, was she even _capable_ of it?

MedCo didn’t want her to live a happy life with a man of great power and intelligence and she was sure they weren’t going to sit idly by and let it happen. The vile company wanted to destroy _everything_ she cared about and held dear until they had her so alone, desperate and miserable that she would have no choice but to bend to their will in exchange for a small glimmer of happiness. The chess game they were playing was far from over and there was no chance of Scarlett escaping without sacrificing her queen.

Turning to rest her lips against Tony’s forehead she stared past him in thought. How would she break it to him that this peace wouldn’t last? Tony was like her in many ways and one of them was that he was a problem solver. When it came to other people’s problems he could fix them easily. When it came to _his_ problems he seemed to ignore them until they built up. 

If Scarlett told Tony what was on her mind and just how bad things had gotten he’d get involved in an instant and put himself in danger. As selfish a man as he appeared to be it was truly a clever guise. Scarlett knew that he’d do everything within his power to protect her and fight alongside her. But Tony didn’t know the severity of what he was getting into and Scarlett wanted to spare him fighting the kinds of battles she’d been involved in. Sure, Tony had been waste deep in scum for a good chunk of his life but it was different than the kind of scum Scarlett had been a part of.

Tony had been playing children’s games for years by messing around with money, alcohol, women and weapons but it was a far cry from the blood on Scarlett’s hands. When he turned into the Iron Man he’d gotten more of a glimpse of the kind of world that Scarlett lived in. It occurred to her then that she was exactly like the villains that challenged him. If she’d done a _single_ thing differently she was sure that instead of falling in love with him, she’d be pitted against Tony in battle. It was mere chance that she’d gotten a chance to know him.

It was scary to consider but even with their history as it was, Scarlett had started off as an _enemy_ , not as a _lover_. He’d repulsed her in reputation and while his charm had made the idea of being with him easier, it was ultimately the good man hidden underneath the sarcasm and reputation that had won her over. 

It was odd to imagine, but Scarlett couldn’t imagine her life going any other way. This thought shook her to the core. Somehow, she was sure that no matter what path life had led her down she’d either end up with Tony or dead. It felt odd to have this sort of certainty, but she had it nonetheless. Turning to look back at Tony again, she brushed her fingers over his arm that still held her. He smiled and grunted again in his slumber but didn’t shy away from her touch. Would it be _so_ bad to have what she wanted? Maybe she could do both.

If she wanted to stop MedCo, and she did, she would have to return to her old life even if it was just for a short while. Tony had been right about many things the night before when they’d talked and unfortunately about a few things when they’d been fighting. One of the things that had stuck with her in particular was that her _illegal behavior_ would have to be put to an end in order for her to a part of his life. Tony lived a very public life, after all.

Keeping up with her old habits while being romantically involved with a man whose personal affairs were written up in international gossip columns everyday would very quickly land Scarlett in prison and cause Tony unnecessary headaches. Her entire life had to change in order to be a part of Tony’s. 

Blank thoughts followed for a short while followed by a flood of fear and terror of whether or not she was _capable_ of such a life or such normalcy. What if she couldn’t turn over a new leaf? What if it changed who she was? What would she do if she didn’t take dangerous jobs?

Tony shifted in bed next to Scarlett again startling her and breaking her train of thought. He shifted away from her with his back to her. Somehow this cleared her mind from the crippling doubt and fear it had become muddled with. Rolling onto her side and propping her head up with her hand, she watched Tony sleep and found a smile once more on her face.

She could do it. 

She would at the very least, try.

But there were things she couldn’t leave unfinished and she knew her hands would have to be more than dirty to finish them. Her situation with Tony had, at long last, been resolved but there were still at least a thousand loose ends dangling just outside the front door. If she didn’t tie the ones she could off now then someday they’d come for her and tangle not only her up in them but _Tony_ too. 

Scarlett was sure she’d be included in her fair share of the many plots Iron Man would someday have to unravel, but it was different. Tony was using the Iron Man suit to protect people, not to pick fights. Scarlett’s battles were her own and it was high time she took responsibility for the destruction she’d left in her wake over the years. Knowing what she had to do, even if it wasn’t what she wanted, Scarlett slowly crept out of bed now that she was free from Tony’s arms.

Once she was sure she hadn’t disturbed Tony while moving and that he remained fast asleep in the hotel bed she retrieved her clothes and tiptoed into the bathroom. Showering and partially hoping the noise would wake Tony up and foil her plans, Scarlett very slowly started to get ready to leave California. When she was clean and dressed, she walked into the adjoining room. Having found a first aid kit with minimal dressings underneath the sink, Scarlett wrapped her bloody feet and sat with her head in her hands for ten minutes while she waited for her scarred feet to stop throbbing. Afterward she searched around the room and found a pen and a pad of paper in the cabinet of a desk on the far end of the room. Getting comfortable once again on the couch, Scarlett wrote her note and then folded up the paper then sealed it with a kiss.

After she was finished with her task, Scarlett walked back into the bedroom and placed the folded letter on the nightstand next to where Tony slept. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Scarlett took to watching Tony sleep. She remained on the bed for a few more agonizing minutes before she started to tug the blankets up and over his body to keep him warm and cozy.

Leaning over him as he shifted but remained at rest, Scarlett felt unusually solemn to know this might be the last time she saw him for a long time. Pressing her lips softly to his forehead she gave Tony a soft kiss before standing up straight.

“I’m so sorry, Tony.” Scarlett turned away from the man who had changed her life in a month’s time and walked out of the room without turning to look back. She would pay the bill for the hotel room and then run her errands for the day. There were a hundred things she needed to do before she could start her journey. She kept repeating in her mind that the sooner she got this done, the sooner she could return to Tony.

Tony stirred only when the light of the day shone through the balcony window and nearly blinded him. He’d slept so fitfully through the night that he honestly didn’t _want_ to wake up. This was peculiar for Tony, considering his racing and easily distracted thoughts kept him awake most nights and urged him into productivity and often into exhaustion. This time it had been the work of his heart that had rendered him into exhaustion but also the same heart that had allowed him to get the rest he so desperately required, especially since he hadn’t slept nearly at all the night before while he’d been stricken with guilt. The room felt warm and inviting and the bed was comfortable and smelled like Scarlett. It would be much harder to wake up each morning when the temptation next to him was irresistible.

But once Tony had managed to fully wake up he knew he was once again alone. His heart took a dive in his chest. He’d worked tremendously hard to get Scarlett back and for what? To have her leave again when he’d finally found some well needed rest? Tony didn’t need to check the rest of the hotel room to know she was long gone. While Scarlett was nowhere to be found there was no cold feeling of deception hanging in the air around him and no nagging fear that she had manipulated him like the last time. In fact, the room was filled with the exact opposite. There was a warm and comforting feeling lingering all around Tony. Though she was gone, it felt _different_. There was no crippling doubt or worry as there had been before.

Rolling onto his back, Tony brushed his hand over his face and tried to wipe away the groggy curtain of sleep that hung over him like a fog. Staring at the ceiling, Tony felt lost and had a thousand new questions on his mind. 

Slowly sitting up, he decided that he would first and foremost contact Pepper and update her on the situation. Considering he’d never gotten back to her the night before, he was surprised that she hadn’t left him a thousand annoying messages on his cell phone. Then he would try to find Scarlett again, no matter how long it took him or how daunting the task seemed. He’d been asleep for long enough that she was likely on a flight out of the country by now. Toes numbed from the night before Tony swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched his sore muscles.

That was when a folded up piece of paper on the nightstand caught his eye. On the front his name was written in unfamiliar handwriting. It occurred to him that he’d never seen Scarlett write before, so there was no way he’d be familiar with it. The way she wrote his name was pretty and, for lack of a better word, girly. Unfolding it, Tony was surprised by the length of the note inside. He’d been half expecting a simple one line apology or sarcastic dig. Rubbing his hand over his mouth and chin he started to read.

_You have no idea how much I didn’t want to leave bed this morning._

Tony wondered just how long he had been sleep alone. It had felt to him like she had been there the whole time right next to him. It was odd but he couldn’t help but think that maybe some ethereal part of Scarlett had stayed with him until he had at least woken up and found her letter.

_I’m sorry, Tony._

_I can’t even specify for what anymore, but I’m sure there’s too long a list to fit on this note. Just know that I’m really sorry._

_Do you remember when you spoke to me about your dilemma of conscience with creating a new power source and making it readily available to everyone, including your potential future enemies and to those who would do harm with such power? It got me thinking about the burden of responsibility for people like me and you. I try not to think about those things most of the time because the good usually always outweighs the bad. But maybe I was just kidding myself until I met you._

_When I left your house yesterday in anger and upset after you said those dreadful things to me I tried to distract myself from the heartache and had some time to really think about the last six months of my life. I say six months because that’s when things started to really change. If I reflected on everything before that, I don’t think I’d ever make amends. There are things I’ve done in this world that I need to be held accountable for before I get to live a happy life._

_I created those drones for MedCo in an attempt to save my life and Scott’s at the same time but by doing so I unwittingly created a weapon of untold power and essentially handed it over to a company that intends to do nothing but horrible things with it. I thought if I gave them multiple defenses it would delay having to create offensive systems. But now I know just giving them a reliable response mechanism was damaging enough and all I accomplished was making them harder to destroy while some weapons expert can just slap a few guns on them. It’s unfinished but still dangerous. MedCo has come after me a dozen times now and I’ve realized they’re not going to stop._

_You may not understand even after seeing it but the technology I used to try and avoid creating a weapon could’ve created a more powerful one that I had foreseen. It could, in the right minds, someday rival your titanium alloy battle suits. In the wrong hands, where it is now, it could cause unspeakable horrors even at half potential._

_I caused this._

_Even though I didn’t mean to do so, I have to accept the fact that in my survival attempt I built something terrible and no matter what I want, MedCo has made it clear that they won’t let me rest until I’ve done what they want. So I’m leaving to do the only thing I can think to do. I won’t put your life in danger anymore or the lives of your friends._

_I think I told you that day that you would need to do what you thought was the best course of action, so I’m taking my own advice even if it breaks my heart. When you explained to me the good you wanted to take out of a bad experience it really got to me. You wanted to redeem yourself even if it was only a small percentage in comparison to the bad things. I know what good I have to do now to turn things around, Tony, and that involves me being bad for just a little bit longer._

_I’ll stop MedCo if it’s the last thing I do. They won’t hunt me down any longer. I’ll make them pay for what they’ve done. After that I’ll find Scott but not to be with him. I don’t want him to wonder if he caused my death the way I thought I caused his. We may have clashed in the past but he deserves closure so he can move on free of guilt. I felt terrible thinking I caused his death and I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone._

_When that’s all said and done I’ll return to you, if you still want me by then. I’ll understand if you don’t but I won’t give up that easily either. I think the saddest thing about writing this note to you is that I never got to say what I realized on the train to you in person and mostly out of spite._

_I love you, Tony Stark._

There was no signature at the end of the letter, just the last line as a declaration of love and that struck Tony the hardest. Scarlett had returned his sentiment the night before but indirectly and now he had the proof in writing. Turning the paper over in his hand though he knew there was nothing else written on it, Tony felt disheartened and confused. He didn’t want her to leave.

Pressing the paper to his lips, he kissed the last words and then folded it up again so he could keep it. Tony had many women write him love letters over the years but this was the only one that had ever meant more than bragging rights.

Setting it back down on the nightstand temporarily, Tony got up and slowly found his discarded clothing and started to get dressed. He respected what Scarlett wanted to do but what he didn’t understand was why she thought she had to do it _alone_. MedCo wanted _her_ and she’d be walking right into the mouth of the lion if she went after them on her own. If she had just stayed with him he could have protected her and helped her take the company down without throwing her in harm’s way. But he knew Scarlett wouldn’t have wanted that. She was, after all, his female James Bond.

Starting to reassemble the complex Iron Man armor, Tony weighed his options. By the time he had reassembled the suit he’d come to a conclusion. He’d pocketed the note she’d written and checked the room to make sure Scarlett hadn’t left anything else behind then started onto the balcony.

“Jarvis?” Tony watched Los Angeles come to life below, finding it hard to believe that only a few hours ago he’d made love to Scarlett and convinced her to stay in his arms only to have her leave in the morning while he slept.

“Did you make up with Miss Damien, sir?” The robot clearly cared about the answer to this particular question above all else.

“Good morning to you too Jarvis.” When the robot didn’t respond, he continued. “She loves me.” Tony smiled, despite the situation at hand. He stood staring out at the city, hesitant to leave.

“Very good. Though I must ask. If that’s the case then where is she? My sensors do not detect her.”

“It’s… complicated.”

“No one is surprised, Mr. Stark.” Jarvis started scans for Scarlett all of which came up empty handed in the nearby vicinities.

“She said she missed you last night.” Tony chimed in, watching the complex processes stop entirely at his words.

“Did she?” Jarvis sounded pleased by the thought of the brunette bombshell having thought of him.

“Who’s the one that’s head over heels now, hmm?” Tony smirked then triggered the thrusters on his suit once it had finished the booting process. “Contact the hotel and pay for the room for me, Jarvis. Apologize for not checking out the old fashioned way but I just don’t have the time.” Tony left the balcony after hesitating to leave the last place that he’d seen Scarlett. He turned around to look back at the room, wishing he could somehow trap the memories from the night before but knew such a thing wasn’t feasible.

“The hotel room has already been paid for by someone who fits Miss Damien’s description.” Jarvis informed his creator after having been given a few minutes to perform the task in question. Tony smiled fondly and couldn’t recall a prior occasion on which he’d taken a woman out and she’d footed the bill without even asking for him to do so. Women always assumed that he’d pay for everything given how deep his pockets went.

“Great. In that case, call Pepper for me.” Instead of responding, Jarvis patched through to Pepper’s cell phone which rang three times before she picked it up.

“Tony, where are you?” Pepper didn’t seem worried but looked exhausted on the video screen on his suit. He guessed she hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before.

“Los Angeles. I’m coming home.”

“LA? Well, that’s a relief I suppose. What happened last night? Did you find Scarlett?” Pepper sounded worried that he perhaps hadn’t, despite how she felt about Scarlett.

“Before I answer that question I need you to do something important for me.” Tony chose his words wisely and received a sigh from Pepper on the other end.

“What is it now?” Pepper sounded disapproving and was shuffling around a huge stack of papers that had been scattered on the table in front of her.

“I need you to clear my schedule.”

“For how long?” Pepper hesitated. Tony guessed this was because clearing his schedule was not an easy feat.

“Indefinitely.”

“Tony! What about New York? You can’t put these things off just because you _feel_ like it!”

“I got the approval to break ground already and for the testing out of town. I need you to send me the plans I was putting together over the past few months. I have some changes I’d like to make. I’ve been thinking about it for a couple weeks, but I want to go through with them now. I’d scrapped them a few times but… now I’m sure.”

“They’re _already_ finalized! I’ve sent them to the architect who has started hiring construction crews.” Pepper continued to object but Tony interrupted her before she could continue.

“Then let me talk to the damn architect directly and I’ll sort it out. I came up with a few important things I _need_ to add to the place. It’s not like they can’t change it. It’s going to take months to finish anyway.” Tony didn’t budge on the matter, despite the sounds of annoyance and the face Pepper was making on the other end of the line.

“ _Fine_ , but I can’t clear your calendar, Tony. You’re the CEO of a company. You’re Iron Man! The idea of even trying to clear your schedule is ludicrous.” Pepper grunted, sounding completely flustered by his request. “I might be able to turn some of them into digital conferences but that’s the best I can do. What could be important enough for you to clear your _entire_ schedule?”

“Scarlett went after MedCo by herself.” Tony made it clear with his voice that he wasn’t joking around and wouldn’t be swayed on the matter. Pepper stayed quiet, having been made partially aware of the company he’d been hunting and their devious motives. She’d done her best to stay out of his Iron Man business. It was too dangerous and the less she knew about what he did in that suit the better for her health. “I can’t let her go alone, no after seeing what they’re capable of. Get my jet ready for international travel. I’ll be home in an hour or so. I have to go after her and make things right.”

“Alright,” Pepper relented with a shake of her head. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Tony.”

“I do. I love her and I’m not going to let her go.” Tony didn’t wait for Pepper to respond before he disconnected the call. The last thing he wanted to hear was some crack about how he’d become a hopeless romantic.

Scarlett had been wrong about one thing in her letter. The fight against MedCo wasn’t hers to fight alone. Stane had been selling them weapons under the table for years in exchange for shortcuts in biological warfare. The fight against MedCo was as much Tony’s as it was Scarlett’s.

Besides, Tony was in love and now that he knew she loved him enough to chase down her demons he wasn’t going to let her go it alone.

“Jarvis, we’re going to Africa.”


End file.
